BY    HIMSELF 


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JIM  WARDNER, 


OF 


WARDNER,   IDAHO 


BY    HIMSELF. 


NEV7   YORK: 

The  Anglo-American   Pubiishing  Co. 

rgoo. 


Copyrig-hted,  igoo, 

by 

The  Anglo  American  Publishing  Co. 


PRESS  OF 

FLESS  &  RIDGE  PRINTING  CO. 

NEW  YORK. 


DEDICA  TION. 

I  have  studied  longer    than    a  judge    in    a  pet 

dog  show  as   to  w/iom  this  book  should  be  dedicated, 

and    amidst    the    vast    number    of  associations,    loves 

and  regrets,  I  hereby  dedicate  it,  first,  to  the  sweetest 

mother,   the    truest    wife,   and    the    dearest   children 

of  which  it  was  ever  mans  honor  to  be  son,  husband, 

and  father;  second,  to  my  ever-living  creditors,  whose 

longevity    is    something    extraordinary,    and  who,   if 

each  becatne  a  purchaser  of  this  book,  would  insure 

its  circulation  ;  and  third,  to  the  miners  of  the  great 

Northwest,  with  whom  I  have  been  so  closely  allied 

for  many  years,  sharing  with  them  hopes,  anticipations 

and  realizations. 

J.   F.    W. 


This  liUlt  flowtr  was   iaktH  fram  the  coHttrvatory  ef  Ella 
WheeUr  Wilcox  and  transplanitd  into  my  garden  0/  ■weedi  : 

The  longer  I  live  and  the  more  I  see 

Of  the  struggle  of  souls  toward  the  heights  above, 
The  stronger  this  truth  comes  home  to  me  : 

That  the  Universe  rests  on  the  shoulders  of  love ; 
A  love  so  limitless,  deep  and  broad, 
That  men  have  renamed  it  and  called  it — God. 

— New  York  Journal. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

My  Earliest  Speculations.   -            -           -           - 

I 

II. 

The  Anti-Cow-Kicking  Milking  Stool. 

9 

III. 

Hogs  and  a  Trip  to  Arizona.          .           .            . 

13 

IV. 

Mr.  Snowball ;  the  Belcher  and  Lizzie  Bullock 

Mines.          ----- 

18 

V. 

Snow-Slides,             .           -            -           .            . 

26 

VI. 

The  National  Candy  Bank. 

29 

VII. 

The  Wild  Man  of  Big  Hole. 

37 

VIII. 

Deadwood  in  the  Black  Hills. 

39 

IX. 

The  Golden  Summit.           .            .            .            . 

47 

X. 

Butterine.           .           .            -           .            . 

50 

XI. 

The  Coeur  d'Alene.              .            .            .            . 

52 

XII. 

The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan. 

54 

XIII. 

Wardner,  Idaho.      -           -           -           -            . 

■  67 

XIV. 

Strikes  Made  by  Curious  Means. 

74 

XV. 

A  Grewsome  Awakening.               -           -            . 

77 

XVI. 

"Shorty." 

78 

XVII. 

Spokane.        ---.-. 

80 

XVIII. 

"Dutch  Jake."               .            -           .            . 

83 

XIX. 

Fairhaven,  Washington.     -            -           -           - 

88 

XX. 

My  Cat  Ranch.              -           -            -           . 

92 

XXI. 

"  Hotel  de  Bum." 

97 

XXII. 

"  Going  to 'Tay  All  Night."    - 

100 

XXIII. 

The  Blue  Canon  Coal  Mine. 

102 

XXIV. 

He  Was  From  Eagle  City,  Idaho.      - 

104 

XXV. 

Kaslo. 

106 

XXVI. 

"Scotty."            -            .           -           -           . 

112 

XXVII. 

John  Todd.  --.... 

114 

CHAPTER 

PAGE 

XXVIII. 

A  Tribute  from  Fred.  W.  Dunn.        -           -           115 

XXIX. 

Mr.  Napier.               -            -           -           -           -     121 

XXX. 

Africa.     --.-.'           -           123 

XXXI. 

Some    Personal    Observations    on    Our    South 

African  Trade.              -            -            -           -     126 

XXXII. 

Rossland,  B.  C.              -           -           -           -           129 

XXXIII. 

That  Railroad  Pass.             -           -            -            -     132 

XXXIV. 

One  on  the  Doctor.        -            -            -           -           134 

XXXV. 

Wardner,  B.  C.         -            -           -                        -     135 

XXXVI. 

The  Loss  of  the  Steamboats.  -           -           -           137 

xxxvn. 

Klondike.      ------    140 

XXXVIII. 

Good-bye.            -            -           -           -            -           143 

Appendix. 

Eureka — Nome !       -           -           -           -           -     145 

CHAPTER  I. 

MY   EARLIEST    SPECULATIONS. 

IF  it  were  possible  to  instruct  the  young-  men  of  the 
English-speaking-  world  by  means  of  object  lessons 
from  the  experience  of  others,  I  believe  that  this 
autobiography  would  soon  be  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  valuable  text  books  extant.  In  recording  the  in- 
cidents, adventures,  business  affairs  and  unique  experi- 
ences of  a  life  that  has  never  known  idle  moments  and 
that  has,  in  its  feverish  haste  for  gain,  invaded  nearly 
all  countries  and  all  climes,  from  the  northern  extremi- 
ties of  Alaska  to  the  southern  parts  of  Africa,  I  shall 
relate  only  facts  and  actual  personal  observations.  All 
of  the  names  of  the  individuals  mentioned  are  genuine, 
and  all  dates  and  places  are  correctly  given. 

To  those  unacquainted  with  me,  who  will  read  this 
book,  I  will  introduce  myself  by  stating  that  I  am  the 
"Jim  Wardner"  after  whom  the  towns  of  Wardner  in 
Idaho  and  Wardner  in  British  Columbia  are  named. 

It  is  generally  considered  by  my  most  intimate  family 
friends  that  I  am  a  living  and  incontrovertible  proof 
that  the  old  saw,  "  Blood  will  tell,"  is  not  to  be  relied 
upon  in  estimating  the  effect  of  a  parent's  characteris- 
tics upon  his  children;  for,  while  I  have  been  one  of  the 
most  persistent  and  tireless  searchers  after  hidden  treas- 
ures in  all  parts  of  the  world,  my  good  father  lived  fifty 
consecutive  years  in  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
and  was  quite  the  contrary,  being  of  a  very  retiring 
disposition.  He  located  in  Milwaukee  in  1836,  and  died 
there  in  1886.  His  was  the  first  brick  residence  built  in 
the  city  now  so  famous  for  its  beauty  and  beer,  and 
therein  I  was  born.  May  19,  1846.  My  dear  mother  is 
still  alive,  at  eighty  years  of  age,  and  notwithstanding 
that  she  has  been  confined  to  her  bed  since  the  first  in- 
auguration of  Grover  Cleveland,  her  mental  energies 
and  high-strung  nerves  are  still  unimpaired. 


3  Jim   Wardner. 

As  a  youth  I  was  exceedingly  restless  under  any  kind 
of  restraint,  cared  little  for  books,  loved  all  animals,  and 
developed  a  disposition  to  trade  and  barter  with  my  boy 
companions  rather  than  to  indulge  in  the  usual  games 
and  sports  of  children.  I  was  but  eight  years  old  when 
I  one  day  surprised  my  mother  by  confiding  to  her  my 
first  great  money-making  scheme.  I  had  thought  over 
the  project  until  I  was  convinced  that  I  could  make  more 
money  annually  upon  an  original  investment  of  seventy- 
five  cents  than  she  had  ever  dreamed  of.  I  had  figured 
out  every  detail  before  I  presented  my  proposition  to 
my  mother  and  asked  her  to  loan  me  the  necessary  cap- 
ital. I  assured  her  I  knew  where  I  could  buy  a  very 
beautiful  rabbit  for  seventy-five  cents;  that  the  boy  who 
owned  the  rabbit  had  told  me  it  was  a  mother  rabbit 
and  that  it  would  have  eight  or  ten  baby  rabbits  soon, 
each  of  which  would  probably  be  more  beautiful  and 
valuable  than  the  one  I  was  to  purchase.  I  also  told  my 
mother  that  I  had  been  learning  all  about  rabbits  from 
the  boy  owner,  and  that  it  would  be  very  easy  to  increase 
my  stock  of  animals  to  at  least  one  thousand  head  by 
the  end  of  the  first  twelve  months,  and  that  the  figures 
for  the  next  following  year  became  so  large  I  could  not 
calculate  them,  but  that  at  twenty-five  cents  each  for 
the  rabbits  I  would  be  awful  rich. 

My  mother  gave  me  the  money;  I  bought  the  rabbit ; 
and  very  soon  afterward  I  had  eight  young  kids  to 
admire  and  take  care  of.  I  fitted  up  a  place  in  our  back 
yard  and  worked  industriously  and  methodically  to  the 
end  I  had  in  view.  The  young  rabbits  thrived,  and  I 
soon  found  an  opportunity  to  sell  a  pair  for  seventy-five 
cents.  I  repaid  the  loan  to  my  mother,  and  felt  that  I 
had  engaged  in  an  interesting  and  profitable  business, 
and  that  it  was  all  my  own.  The  business  thrived  and 
grew,  and  I  continued  it  until  I  was  thirteen  years  old, 
in  the  meantime  making  money  enough  to  buy  all  my 
school  books,  and  always  having  on  hand  much  more 
spending  money  than  the  average  boy  among  my  asso- 
ciates. I  soon  found  out  that  my  original  calculations 
did  not  materialize,  and  also  learned  that  figures  will 
lie  more  correctly  and  seductively  than  any  other 
medium  of  untruth.  But  my  rabbit  business  was  a 
success  just  the  same. 


My  Earliest  Speculations.  3 

My  boy  customers  were  many,  and  among-  them  I  re- 
call Charlie  King  as  one  of  the  best.  And  now  General 
King,  the  heroic  soldier  and  gifted  author,  if  he  reads 
these  lines,  will  go  back  in  heart  and  mind  to  the  sunny, 
happy  days  when  he  so  admired  my  best  "pink  eyes," 
and  there  was  no  trace  of  anything  but  joy  above  the 
horizon  of  our  youthful  vision.  Prof.  George  H.  Peck- 
ham,  now  distinguished  as  first  among  educators  in 
Wisconsin,  was  a  good  buyer  of  "bunnies."  Among 
my  other  well-remembered  boy  customers  were  W.  H. 
Wright,  Sam.  W.  Tallmadge,  Harry  and  Fred.  Ludding- 
ton,  W.  H.  Seaman  and  others  ;  but  of  all  the  boys  who 
were  my  patrons  there  was  one,  somewhat  older  than 
the  others,  whom  I  can  never  forget.  His  name  was 
Bill  Plummer  and  he  was  the  thirteenth  and  youngest 
son  of  a  good  English  family  that  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Bill  had  a  peculiar  personality.  He  was  a  quiet 
lad,  yet  had  a  faculty  of  making  all  the  other  boys  in 
awe  of  him  without  any  apparent  attempt  to  exercise 
any  authority  or  control.  I  had  an  instinctive  dread  of 
him  which  was  never  clear  to  mv  mind.  It  was  a  case 
of:  '  , 

"  I  do  not  like  thee,  Dr.  Fell  ; 

Why  it  is,  I  cannot  tell  ; 

But  I  do  not  like  thee,  Dr.  Fell." 

Until  I  heard  that  as  a  young  man  he  had  drifted  up  to 
Virginia  City,  in  Montana,  had  been  elected  Sheriff  of 
the  camp,  and  was  soon  afterward  hung  by  the  Vigi- 
lantes, who  discovered  that  he  was  the  chief  of  the  road 
agents  that  infested  the  new  mining  district,  as  well  as 
being  the  duly  elected  Sheriff.  But  I  doubt  if  Bill 
Plummer  could  have  avoided  that  or  a  worse  fate,  for 
he  was  number  thirteen  on  the  list. 

My  business  career  of  rabbit-raising  had  been  happy 
and  prosperous  ;  but  when  I  was  thirteen  years  old  I 
gave  it  up  to  enter  the  drug  store  of  I.  N.  Morton,  in 
Milwaukee,  as  a  clerk  and  student.  I  was  no  more  to 
blame  for  beginning  my  career  as  a  druggist  at  the 
fatalistic  year  of  my  life  than  was  Bill  Plummer  for  be- 
ing the  thirteenth  son.  I  liked  the  delicate,  intricate, 
and  precise  nature  of  my  new  duties,  and  as  I  was  of  an 
inquisitive  turn  I  made  quick  progress  ;  so  much  so,  in- 
deed, that  in   1863,  when  the   Thirty-ninth    Regiment, 


4  Jint   Wardner. 

Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  ready  to  go  to  the 
front  in  the  Civil  War,  I  was  appointed  by  Surgeon- 
General  E.  B.  Wolcott  to  the  position  of  hospital  stew- 
ard. We  were  soon  at  the  front,  and  the  Thirty-ninth 
Wisconsin  was  stationed  on  the  Hernando  Pike,  just  out 
of  Memphis,  Tennessee.  I  got  along  pretty  well  for  a 
boy  of  my  age,  rather  liked  the  authority  of  my  posi- 
tion, and  had  only  one  stormy  incident  during  my  serv- 
ice. The  great  Confederate  cavalry  chief,  Forrest,  con- 
cluded that  his  mere  handful  of  men  were  more  than 
a  match  in  dash,  daring  and  deviltry  for  the  considera- 
ble Federal  army  in  and  about  Memphis.  At  any  rate, 
when  our  gallant  Thirty-ninth  heard  that  Forrest  was 
coming  down  the  pike  they  started  like  broncos  before 
a  cloudburst,  and  ran  five  miles  to  safety  at  Fort  Pick- 
ering. I  had  remained  to  get  the  sick  and  convalescent 
into  ambulances  ;  but  before  that  work  was  finished  I 
concluded  that  Jim  Wardner's  personal  safety  was  worth 
much  more  that  any  record  of  heroism  that  might  lead 
to  death,  and  so  I  quietly  disappeared  by  crawling  into 
a  big  bake-oven.  I  was  well  secreted,  and  remained 
there  ten  of  the  longest  hours  I  ever  passed  before  I 
was  sure  that  I  could  reach  Fort  Pickering  in  safety  and 
rejoin  the  regiment. 

I  saved  my  money  while  in  the  army,  and  after  my 
discharge  I  returned  home  for  a  brief  visit,  and  then 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  was  old  enough  and  big  enough 
to  tackle  life  in  New  York  City.  I  reached  New  York 
full  of  hope,  aspirations  and  confidence.  I  put  up  at  the 
Western  Hotel,  on  Cortlandt  street,  and  at  once  began 
looking  for  a  position  as  druggist.  I  soon  found  out 
that  all  the  high-class  pharmacies  were  fully  as  particu- 
lar about  how  their  clerks  parted  their  hair  or  curled 
their  mustaches  as  they  were  about  their  knowledge  and 
experience  ;  and  as  I  was  not  quite  up  to  the  Eastern 
style  just  then,  I  was  finally  compelled  to  accept  a  clerk- 
ship in  a  drug  store  located  at  the  then  famous  (and  in- 
famous) "  Five  Points."  I  was  made  night  clerk,  and 
quickly  discovered  that  my  principal  work  was  the  sale 
of  morphine,  opium  and  certain  proprietary  medicines. 
The  transition  from  the  quiet  dignity  of  Morton's  es- 
tablishment in  Milwaukee  to  the  surroundings  of  anight 
clerk's   duties  in   the  "  Five   Points,"  New  York,  was 


My  Earliest  Speculations.  5 

marked  enough  to  satisfy  any  craving  for  incident  or 
strange  experience  that  a  boy  of  my  age  might  have  had. 

Before  I  had  been  long  in  my  new  position  I  found 
that  one  of  our  most  regular  patrons  was  a  big,  jovial, 
tremendously  profane  and  equally  influential  man  of  the 
neighborhood,  named  John  Allen.  We  became  so  well 
acquainted  that  Mr.  Allen  one  night  said  to  me  in  his 
most  cordial  manner  : 

"  Come  around  to  my  place  some  afternoon,  Jim,  and 
I'll  show  you  one  of  the  sights  of  New  York." 

He  gave  me  his  number  on  Water  street,  and  the  fol- 
lowing afternoon  I  strolled  over  to  the  address  given. 
Over  the  door  was  a  big  sign,  "Allen's  Place."  It  was 
directly  opposite  a  very  famous  resort  of  which  I  had 
heard,  "  Kit  Burns'  Rat  Pit."  I  saw  that  the  general 
environment  was  of  an  even  tougher  character  than  our 
own  business  locality,  and  it  was  with  a  bit  of  indecision 
that  I  finally  opened  the  front  door  and  stepped  into 
John  Allen's  resort  of  the  ultra-vile  habitues  of  the  dis- 
trict. Many  times  in  my  life  of  adventure,  excitement 
and  novelty  have  I  been  suddenly  startled,  surprised  or 
frightened,  but  never  before  or  since  have  I  been  quite 
so  astounded  as  I  was  the  moment  I  entered  "  Allen's 
Place." 

In  the  center  of  the  first  portion  of  the  front  room 
was  a  round  table,  upon  which  were  strewn  well- bound, 
expensive  and  much-used  volumes  of  the  works  of 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Burns,  Poe,  Dickens  and  other 
standard  authors,  and  in  the  center  of  the  table  was  a 
huge  and  costly  family  Bible.  To  the  left  center  of  the 
room  was  a  long  bar  ;  standing  upon  the  bar  was  a  little 
boy,  apparently  about  five  years  old,  sweet,  innocent 
and  beautiful.  It  was  as  if  the  child  had  stepped  out 
of  one  of  the  master  paintings  of  the  Madonna  to  check 
the  mad  revelry  that  was  rioting  at  the  far  end  of  the 
room,  where  sailors  and  women  were  dancing,  drinking 
and  brawling.  Before  the  child  stood  John  Allen  ;  and 
the  boy,  with  a  marvelous  beauty  of  voice,  was  declaim- 
ing bits  of  poetry  from  Burns.  Mr.  Allen  turned  and 
came  forward  to  meet  me. 

"  Well,  Jim,  glad  to  see  you  !  This  (lifting  the  child 
off  the  bar)  is  my  little  one  and  pet,  Chester.  When  I 
feel  a  bit  sentimental  and  the  racket  here  ain't  too  great, 


6  Jim  Wardner. 

I  stand  Chester  up  on  the  bar  or  table  and  he  recites 
my  favorite  verses  for  me.  He  knows  a  lot  from  each 
of  our  standard  poets.  '  Now,  pet,'  "  said  Mr.  Allen 
softly,  lifting  the  boy  upon  the  table,  "  '  recite  something 
for  Mr.  Wardner.' " 

"  Is  your  name  Jim  ? "  asked  Chester  of  me  ;  and 
then,  quickly,  *'  I  like  you." 

Somewhat  self-reliant  though  I  was,  I  could  say  noth- 
ing in  reply.  Then,  with  the  noise  and  racket  of  com- 
mingled music  and  shuffling  feet,  oaths  and  hideous 
ribaldry  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room,  that  sweet, 
fond  child  stood  near  the  great  Bible  and  repeated 
Portia's  address  to  Shylock. 

"  The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strain'd  " 

was  burned  into  my  very  soul. 

"  It  falleth  like  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven  upon  the  just  and  the 
unjust " 

was  thrust  into  my  ear  never  to  be  forgotten;  and  I 
looked  at  the  drunken,  dancing  sailors  and  the  painted, 
polluted  women,  and  for  the  first  time,  possibly,  in  all 
my  life  came  serious  thoughts  :  Who  shall. judge  them  ? 
Shall  this  child  lead  them  ? 

With  a  light  laugh  and  a  curious  smile  of  affection 
little  Chester  hugged  Allen  as  he  lifted  the  boy  from 
the  table,  and  I  hurried  away  on  the  plea  of  being  com- 
pelled to  do  extra  work  at  the  store. 

Soon  after  this  episode  the  New  York  Sun  wrote  up 
Allen  as  "  The  Wickedest  Man  in  New  York."  In- 
stantly he  was  famous,  and  for  some  reason  had  come 
to  consider  me  as  his  closest  friend.  Some  time  pre- 
vious to  this  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
had  been  making  persistent  and  successful  efforts  at 
reclaiming  the  denizens  of  Water  street.  Much  to  my 
astonishment  I  found  that  Allen  had  suddenly  become 
a  convert.  "  Allen's  Place  "  was  removed  from  over 
the  entrance,  and  in  its  stead  was  a  huge  sign,  "  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association."  Here,  in  place  of  drunk- 
enness, robbery  and  the  lowest  vices,  suddenly  there 
were  hymns,  prayers  and  sermons.  Nightly  the  place 
was  thronged  with  the  lowest  types  of  the  inhumanity 
of  the  slums.  John  Allen  became  the  most  effective, 
and,  apparently,  the  most  honest  and  earnest  exhorter 


My  Earliest  Speculations.  7 

among  those  who  addressed  the  crowds.  He  was  a 
powerful  man  and  a  powerful  speaker.  Shameless  wom- 
en cried  at  his  words  of  warning  and  beseeching,  and 
hardened  criminals  became  frequenters  of  the  meetings 
and  professed  reformation.  Chester  was  a  factor  in  all 
this,  and  Allen  used  the  child's  talents  to  advantage. 

I  saw  the  effect  upon  the  general  public  of  Allen  and 
Chester,  and  one  day  I  said  to  Allen  : 

"  I  will  put  my  time  against  a  little  of  your  money, 
Mr.  Allen,  and  will  guarantee  to  make  a  thousand  dol- 
lars or  two  within  a  month." 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Come  with  me  and  see ;  we  must  have  Chester 
with  us." 

"All  right,  Jim  ;  it's  a  pleasant  day  and  I  don't  mind 
a  walk  anyway." 

We  went  to  a  photographer's,  and  inside  of  half  an 
hour  1  had  made  arrangements  to  have  a  number  of 
thousands  of  photographs  of  Allen  and  Chester  ready 
for  delivery  upon  a  stated  date.  One  beautiful  May 
morning  the  photographs  of  "  The  Wickedest  Man  in 
New  York  "  and  the  child  Chester  were  on  sale  all  over 
the  city.  The  result  was  that  in  a  few  days  Allen  and 
I  divided  $1,500  in  cash,  over  and  above  all  expenses, 
and  I  possessed  the  largest  sum  of  money  I  had  ever 
owned  up  to  that  date. 

After  a  little  Allen  tried  to  raise  the  rent  of  his  place 
to  the  Association,  and  its  officers  became  suspicious 
that  his  alleged  conversion  was  sham.  But  the  Su7i  and 
the  photographer  had  made  him  famous,  and  whenever 
he  spoke  people  crowded  to  hear  him.  I  noted  all  this, 
and  surprised  Allen  one  day  by  saying  : 

"  You  are  an  older  man  than  I  am,  Mr.  Allen,  but  I 
have  got  a  plan  that  can  be  carried  out,  and  one  that 
will  make  us  both  rich.  It  will  beat  the  photograph 
racket  all  to  pieces." 

"  What  is  it,  my  boy  ? " 

"  You  are  now  the  best  advertised  man  in  the  United 
States,"  I  replied.  "  I  propose  that  you  advance  money 
enough  to  pay  preliminary  expenses  ;  I  will  make  all 
the  arrangements  for  halls  and  advertising,  and  you, 
with  Chester  as  a  side  attraction,  will  deliver  ten  lec- 
tures in  ten  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  State.     There 


8  Jim  Wardner. 

will  be  a,  lot  of  money  in  it,  and  we  will  divide  up  the 
net  receipts." 

Allen  at  once  appreciated  the  situation,  and  we  im- 
mediately made  a  bargain.  I  quit  the  drug  store,  went 
to  Troy,  engaged  the  opera  house  there,  and  billed  the 
town  for  the  first  lecture  of  "  The  Wickedest  Man  in 
New  York."  Now  Allen's  besetting  sin  was  a  love  of 
and  capacity  for  whiskey.  He  and  Chester  came  on  to 
Troy  at  the  appointed  time.  The  evening  of  the  lec- 
ture arrived  and  with  it  a  crowd  that  not  only  packed 
the  opera  house  but  filled  the  neighboring  sidewalks. 
A  thousand  dollars  had  been  taken  in  at  the  box-office. 
I  waited  impatiently  for  Allen.  Hours  passed,  but  he 
did  not  appear.  Then  I  announced  that  the  money 
would  be  refunded  at  the  box-office,  and  the  great 
crowd  passed  out.  Allen,  drunk,  was  found  before 
morning.  It  was  his  last  debauch.  In  three  days  he 
died.  I  took  Chester  back  to  New  York,  and  he  was 
taken  in  charge  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. I  have  never  heard  of  Chester  from  that  day  to 
this.  If  he  is  living,  and  this  reminiscence  comes  to  his 
eye,  I  would  like  much  to  hear  from  him. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    ANTI-COW-KICKING    MILKING    STOOL. 

Upon  my  return  to  New  York  I  began  at  once  hus- 
tling for  a  situation,  for  the  fiasco  at  Troy  had  compelled 
me  to  part  with  most  of  the  money  I  had  made  in  the 
photograph  deal.  Within  a  few  days  I  met  an  acquaint- 
ance who  told  me  that  a  very  eminent  physician,  a  friend 
of  his,  needed  an  assistant,  and  that  he  would  be  willing 
to  pay  liberally  for  the  services  of  a  trustworthy  young 
man  who  had  had  experience  as  a  druggist.  My  ac- 
quaintance offered  to  give  me  a  personal  introduction 
and  said  he  would  recommend  me  as  "discreet."  We 
sauntered  up  Broadway  a  few  blocks  and  I  was  ushered 
into  the  office  of  Dr.  A.  M.  K.,  Tapeworm  Specialist. 
In  the  waiting  room  were  three  or  four  thin-faced,  blue- 
veined,  wild-eyed  women,  and  on  our  entrance  there 
had  rushed  from  an  interior  room  a  scared-looking  lady, 
who  seemed  anxious  to  get  home.  I  at  once  concluded 
that  the  doctor  had  lots  of  business,  and  that  I  would 
probably  get  a  position.  He  was  so  busy,  indeed,  that 
we  were  compelled  to  await  his  pleasure  for  more  than 
an  hour. 

Finally,  Dr.  K.  came  out  and  greeted  us,  asked  me  a 
few  questions,  and  upon  learning  that  I  was  from  the 
West,  said  he  would  try  me  for  a  week.  I  began  my 
work  as  assistant  to  a  tapeworm  specialist  the  next 
morning.  I  was  put  in  the  laboratory  and  was  given 
several  iDOttles  and  boxes,  unlabeled,  save  that  on  each 
was  marked  a  number  of  grains  or  proportions.  I  was 
told  that  my  work  woiild  consist  largely  in  mixing  and 
preparing  prescriptions  that  would  be  given  me,  and 
that  I  was  to  put  them  up  in  accordance  with  weights 
specified  upon  the  various  boxes  and  bottles.  I  knew 
enough  not  to  ask  any  questions,  and  I  also  knew  enough 
to  determine  the  character  of  some  of  the  unnamed  drugs. 
This  knowledge  gave  me  some  clue  to  the  modus  operandi 


lo  Jim   Wardner. 

of  the  doctor,  and  though  he  seemed  greatly  disinclined 
to  give  information,  I  finally  by  strategy  won  from  him 
his  secret.  Just  what  this  was  I  shall  not  state  here. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  each  day  no  less  than  ten  patients 
were  diagnosed  as  suffering  from  tapeworm,  each  was 
treated,  and  each  paid — according  to  the  doctor's  ability 
to  size  her  up — from  twenty-five  to  fifty  dollars  ;  and 
I  believe  that  each  patient  left  the  office  convinced  that 
she  had  had  a  tapeworm  removed.  , 

One  morning  the  doctor  told  me  that  he  could  see 
that  I  had  an  eye  to  business,  and  that  he  knew  a  fellow 
who  had  perfected  an  invention,  which,  if  the  rights 
for  any  Western  agricultural  State  could  be  purchased 
outright,  would  bring  the  possessor  a  fortune.  He  said 
that  if  I  had  a  few  hundred  dollars  of  ready  money, 
he  thought  he  could  get  me  the  right  for  the  State  of 
Wisconsin  (he  knew  that  I  was  from  Milwaukee)  at  a 
bedrock  price.  I  told  him  I  had  about  five  hundred 
dollars.  Without  delay  the  kind  doctor  introduced  me 
to  the  inventive  genius,  and  I  accompanied  the  latter 
to  a  loft  down-town.  There  I  was  shown  a  combina- 
tion milk  stool,  with  a  sort  of  tripod  attachment  to 
which  was  hung  a  big  milk  pail.     The  inventor  said  : 

"  Of  course,  you  have  lived  in  the  country,  and  know 
how  to  milk  cows  ?  " 

"  No,  I  never  milked  a  cow  ;  but  I  know  how  it  is 
done." 

"  Well,  that's  just  as  well,  for  you  will  comprehend 
at  once  the  great  value  of  this  anti-cow-kicking  milking 
machine.  You  know,  my  boy,  that  more  than  eighty 
per  cent,  of  cows  kick,  and  the  milking  of  them  is  often 
not  only  a  tiresome  but  a  hazardous  undertaking.  With 
this  machine  it  is  impossible  for  a  cow  to  kick  over  the 
milk  pail.  I  have  shipped  within  a  month  more  than 
one  thousand  machines  to  South  America.  I  have  the 
rights  for  only  one  State  left,  and  that  is  so  far  away  I 
hardly  think  you  will  care  to  invest." 

"What  State  is  it?"  I  asked. 

"  Wisconsin  ;  it's  a  great  dairy  State,  but  you  know  it's 
a  long  ways  from  New  York." 

Well,  the  upshot  was  that  after  a  good  deal  of  bar- 
gaining, I  actually  turned  over  my  five  hundred  dollars 
of  good  and  lawful  money  of  the  United  States  and  took 


The  Anti-Cow-Kicking  Milkmg  Stool.  ii 

a  complicated  agreement,  printed  upon  green  paper, 
which  made  me  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  right  to  manu- 
facture, use  and  sell  the  "  Anti-Cow-Kicking  Milking 
Machine  "  in  the  entire  State  of  my  nativity.  Now  it 
happened  that  during  my  stay  in  New  York  I  had  been 
in  correspondence  with  a  Milwaukee  young  lady,  with 
whom  I  was  very  much  in  love — and  with  whom  in 
these  many  intervening  years  the  sentiment  has  grown 
as  we  shared  our  triumphs  and  troubles  together — and 
I  was  anxious  to  return  to  my  home.  It  also  happened 
that  my  mother-in-law  that  was  to  be  had  but  a  little 
while  before  been  presented  with  a  gentle  Alderney  cow 
by  Judge  Daniels,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  who  had  had  the 
animal  shipped  from  his  farm  out  to  Milwaukee.  The 
cow  was  as  kind  as  a  kitten.  The  great  inventor  of  the 
machine  which  I  believed  was  to  make  my  fortune,  had 
kindly  superintended  the  construction  of  a  specially 
w'ell-finished  model  for  my  use.  It  was  painted  red,  was 
nickel-plated  in  parts,  and  was  as  pretty  as  a  new  wagon. 
The  very  afternoon  of  my  arrival  I  carried  the  machine 
over  to  my  prospective  mother-in-law's  house  and,  after 
extolling  the  merits  of  my  invention,  I  begged  her  to 
have  it  tested  that  evening  on  the  Alderney.  The  serv- 
ant who  did  the  milking  was  instructed  to  try  the 
new  combination,  and  started  to  do  so  ;  but  the  moment 
the  tripod  was  placed  and  the  maid  started  to  sit  upon 
the  stool,  that  gentlest  of  Alderneys  shot  out  and  back 
aright  hind  foot — and  we  were  so  busy  carrying  the  maid 
into  the  house  that  there  was  no  time  for  me  to  even 
examine  the  fragments  of  my  future  fortune. 

Soon  afterward  I  was  offered  and  accepted  a  position 
as  traveling  salesman  of  druggists'  sundries  for  the  firm 
of  Kelly  &  Edmunds,  of  176  Washington  street,  Boston. 
I  had  made  but  one  trip  for  the  concern — which  was 
one  of  the  largest  and  best  houses  in  the  East — when 
George  L.  Kinsman,  of  Milwaukee,  who  had  married 
a  young  lady  with  considerable  money  in  her  own  right, 
offered  to  make  me  a  partner  in  a  new  pharmacy  which 
he  wanted  to  establish.  I  accepted  the  proposition  at 
once.  Kinsman  and  I  then  fitted  up,  at  a  cost  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  the  "  Palace  Drug  Store,"  and  we 
started  out  with  the  best  of  prospects.  I  was  now  in 
business  and  concluded  that  I  could  afford  to  marry — 


12  Jim   Wardner. 

the  best  and  most  permanent  conclusion  I  have  ever 
carried  out.  Everything  seemed  particularly  favorable 
to  success.  But  one  day  inexplicable  Fate  walked  into 
the  "  Palace  Drug  Store,"  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  prom- 
inent citizen  was  poisoned  and  our  business  was  ruined. 

It  was  in  this  way  :   One  of  our  clerks  was  Philo ,  a 

careful,  conscientious,  and  skillful  druggist.  He  started 
to  wait  upon  the  customer,  who  wanted  a  dose  of  vale- 
rian. Upon  the  shelf  was  a  bottle  of  Tilden's  extract  of 
veratriim  viride,  the  maximum  dose  of  which  is  five 
drops.  Beside  that  bottle  was  Tilden's  fluid  extract  of 
English  valerian,  a  harmless  narcotic,  of  which  a  usual 
prescription  is  two  teaspoonfuls.  Philo  gave  the  dose 
out  of  the  wrong  bottle,  and  the  customer  fell  in  spasms 
on  the  marble  floor. 

I  quit  the  drug  business  that  day. 


CHAPTER   III. 

HOGS    AND    A    TRIP    TO    ARIZONA. 

That  was  the  turning  point  in  my  career.  I  con- 
cluded to  get  as  far  away  from  the  scene  of  that  acci- 
dent as  the  limits  of  the  continent  would  permit,  and  I 
started  for  California,  resolved  upon  a  new  field,  new 
friends  and  whatever  opportunities  might  be  presented. 
I  had  an  uncle,  Mr.  George  O.  Tiffany,  living  at  Los 
Angeles,  and  after  visiting  San  Francisco  I  concluded  I 
would  make  him  a  visit.  That  was  in  1871,  and  the 
"  City  of  the  Angels  "  was  a  quaint  old  Spanish-Mexi- 
can town  of  few  pretensions  and  less  attractions.  My 
uncle,  however,  was  a  Los  Angeles  enthusiast,  and  he 
talked  me  into  the  belief  that  the  place  would  soon 
enjoy  a  "  boom."  The  result  was  that  I  bought  six 
acres  of  land  near  the  town,  for  which  I  paid  two 
thousand  dollars,  and  which,  my  uncle  assured  me, 
would  raise  five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  oranges 
each  season,  if  properly  irrigated  and  properly  set  out 
with  orange  trees.  In  those  days  in  that  locality  the 
only  means  of  obtaining  water  was  by  sinking  artesian 
wells.  After  acquiring  title  and  concluding  that  my 
real  mission  in  life  was  to  enjoy  the  "glorious  climate 
of  California  "  and  become  a  fruit  grower,  I  sank  two 
artesian  wells  and  both  proved  to  be  fine  "  flowers."  I 
was  overjoyed  at  my  prospects  ;  but  one  morning  I 
found  that  my  wells  ceased  to  flow,  and  investigation 
proved  that  my  neighbor,  who  had  been  sinking  wells 
also,  had  tapped  the  water  vein  above  and  had  ren- 
dered my  work  useless.  I  at  once  offered  my  ranch  for 
sale  and  succeeded  in  getting  the  purchase  price  back. 
These  same  six  acres  afterward  sold,  in  1888,  for  one 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  dollars. 

Soon  after  disposing  of  my  land,  and  while  I  was  try- 
ing to  make  up  my  mind  whether  it  would  be  best  to 
return  to  "  the  States,"  or  take  passage  for  Honolulu, 


14  Ji'yn  Wardner. 

who  should  I  meet  in  Los  Ano^eles  one  day  but  my 

old  boy  friend  and  rabbit  buyer,  Will .      He  said 

that  he  had  just  come  up  from  San  Diego  and  that 
he  had  a  scheme  which  would  make  more  money  than 
a  mint. 

"All  I  want  is  one  thousand  dollars,"  said  Will,  "  to 
start  the  most  profitable  business  on  the  Pacific  Coast." 

"  Well,  what's  the  plan  ?"  I  queried. 

"  Hogs." 

"Hogs?" 

"  Yes,  hogs  ;  say,  Jim,  I  haven't  any  figures  that  will 
do  this  thing  justice  ;  but  listen  :  A  short  distance  from 
San  Diego,  say  about  twelve  miles  up  in  the  San  Julian 
Mountains,  is  a  vast  natural  park  timbered  with  oak 
trees  that  bear  acorns,  which  are  the  best  hog  food  in 
the  world.  The  tract  of  land  is  unoccupied,  and  I  want 
to  buy  a  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  hogs,  herd  them  up 
there,  fatten  them  without  cost,  and  realize  at  least  five 
hundred  per  cent,  the  first  season.  You  were  such  a 
success  in  the  rabbit  business,  Jim,  that  I  know  we  can 
succeed  in  this  enterprise.  We  can  buy  all  the  pigs  we 
want  at  two  dollars  each,  and  in  the  fall,  when  fat,  they 
will  sell  for  ten  dollars  each." 

It  certainly  did  look  reasonable  that  if  a  man  could 
buy  five  hundred  pigs  at  two  dollars  each,  drive  them 
up  to  the  mountains,  where  they  could  get,  without 
cost,  all  the  food  the}^  could  eat,  and  then  sell  them  in 
the  fall  at  ten  dollars  each,  that  there  was  good  safe 
money  in  the  scheme.  So  I  gave  Will  one  thousand 
dollars,  and  he  returned  to  San  Diego.  Soon  afterward 
I  heard  from  him,  and  everything  was  lovely.  He  had 
bought  the  pigs,  succeeded  in  getting  them  into  the 
mountains,  had  built  a  shack  to  live  in,  and  was  happy. 
About  three  months  after  I  had  received  the  letter  I 
went  down  to  San  Diego  and  was  soon  on  the  trail  lead- 
ing to  our  hog  ranch."  I  found  Will's  shack  all  right, 
and  he  was  sitting  in  the  doorway  when  I  first  sighted 
him,  apparently  asleep.  Upon  my  near  approach_  he 
seemed  to  awaken  suddenly,  gave  a  spring  to  one  side, 
grabbed  a  big  stick,  and  stood  prepared  to  strike  at 
something.     Then  he  recognized  me. 

"Good  Lord  !  Jim,  is  that  you  ?  I  thought  it  was  a 
hog,  and  was  just  going  to  smash  him." 


Hogs  and  a   Trip  to  Arizona.  15 

"  Why,  Will,  what's  the  matter  ?  Why  do  you  want 
to  smash  a  hog  ?     Where  are  they,  anyhow  ?" 

"  The  fact  is,  Jim,  our  hog-raising  is  a  failure.  I 
brought  in  here  five  hundred  of  the  neatest  pigs  you 
ever  saw,  but  I  have  found  out  that  it  takes  at  least  a 
quarter-section  of  oak-timbered  land  to  feed  one  hog. 
The  result  is  that  our  pigs  are  scattered  all  through  the 
San  Julian  Mountains,  and  most  of  them  are  so  wild 
and  starved  that  they  are  dangerous.  I  have  had  them 
attack  me,  and  that  is  why,  when  you  awakened  me 
suddenly,  I  thought  one  of  the  hogs  had  got  after  me 
again."  Then  he  said  :  "  Look  there,  look  ! "  Sure 
enough  an  old  razorback,  with  elongated  snout  and 
frothy  mouth,  had  emerged  from  the  underbrush  and 
was  going  for  acorns  faster  than  a  chicken  after  grass- 
hoppers. He  closed  the  door  of  the  shack,  opened  up 
a  loop-hole,  and  not  until  this  wild  and  starved  scaven- 
ger had  disappeared  did  I  venture  out. 

I  did  not  care  to  investigate  the  hog  ranch  any  far- 
ther, so  I  returned  to  San  Diego,  and  thence  to  Los 
Angeles  as  quickly  as  possible,  satisfied  that  Will  had 
at  least  got  even  with  me  for  the  numerous  potato- 
swelled  mother  rabbits  I  had  sold  him  so  long  ago. 

When  I  returned  to  Los  Angeles,  I  found  the  people 
of  the  town  perfectly  wild  over  reports  that  had  come 
in  of  rich  mineral  discoveries  in  Arizona.  It  was  my 
first  experience  of  a  mining  stampede,  and  I  caught  the 
fever  at  once  in  its  strongest  and  most  malignant  type. 
I  may  as  well  confess  here  that  I  have  had  it  ever  since, 
and  shall  carry  it  with  me  to,  my  grave,  because  it  is  not 
an  infatuation,  it  is  a  business,  with  many  chances  and 
perils  ;  a  speculative  business,  combined  with  fresh  air, 
ozone  galore,  and  the  companionship  of  the  best  fellows 
on  earth.  No  competition  in  this  business,  no  jealous- 
ies, plenty  of  room,  and  always  hope. 

The  new  camp  was  called  Ivanpah,  and  it  was  about 
two  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  Los  Angeles.  The 
route  then  lay  across  the  Mojave  Desert,  and  the  trail 
was  reported  to  be  about  the  straightest  known  pathway 
to  certain  death.  Among  the  prospectors  who  had  re- 
turned from  Ivanpah  for  supplies  and  who  had  rich  ore 
samples  to  exhibit  was  John  D.  Reed,  a  San  Bernardino 
young  fellow,  who  was  known  to  my  uncle,  and  who 


1 6  Jim  Wardner. 

was  said  by  him  to  be  "square,"  Reed  said  that  if  I 
wanted  to  "  outfit "  with  him,  he  was  agreeable,  and  so  we 
became  "  pardners."  We  bought  four  pack  animals  and 
two  saddle  broncos,  the  usual  kit  of  miners'  tools, 
blankets,  guns,  ammunition,  food  supplies,  etc.,  and 
started  for  Ivanpah  one  August  morning  in  187 1.  We 
fell  in  with  a  lot  of  fellows  bound  on  the  stampede,  and 
things  went  along  pretty  well  until  just  before  we 
reached  the  Mojave  Desert. 

My  bronco  had  got  mixed  up  in  his  riata  and  had 
"  burned  "  his  fetlock  joint,  so  that  by  the  time  we  had  got 
fairly  in  the  desert  the  sand  and  heat  together  made 
him  so  lame  that  I  was  obliged  to  get  off  and  walk.  I 
gradually  fell  behind  the  others,  but  the  trail  was  plain 
and  I  did  not  dream  of  any  danger.  Suddenly  there 
came  up  one  of  those  sand-storms  for  which  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  is  famous.  In  a  few  minutes  every 
sign  of  the  trail  was  obliterated,  and  my  eyes,  ears  and 
throat  were  filled  with  the  burning  alkali  dust  that 
seemed  to  move  along  like  a  solid  wall.  I  was  very 
much  frightened,  for  I  knew  to  be  lost  on  that  trail 
without  water  meant  death.  Then  it  occurred  to  me 
that  I  had  heard  of  persons  getting  lost  in  blizzards  and 
that  invariably  they  walked  in  circles.  I  determined 
that  my  safety  depended  largely  upon  my  ability  to 
keep  going  straight  ahead.  The  storm  had  lessened 
somewhat  in  force,  and  while  I  could  see  no  trace  of  a 
trail  I  could  see  objects  like  stones  or  boulders  a  few 
feet  away.  I  then  adopted  the  plan  of  standing  still 
a  moment,  fixing  my  eye  on  an  object  which  seemed  to 
be  straight  in  front  of  me  and  then  walking  directly  to 
it.  Then  selecting  another  object  I  repeated  the  opera- 
tion. I  followed  up  that  procedure  for  more  than  three 
hours  and  never  looked  behind  me  once.  By  that  time 
the  storm  was  over,  and,  unexpectedly  and  joyfully,  I 
struck  the  trail  again.  I  was  so  overcome  with  exhaus- 
tion and  burning  thirst  that  I  feared  I  would  lose  my 
mind,  but  I  fairly  pulled  my  limping  bronco  along  the 
trail.  Just  as  it  was  getting  dusk  the  bronco  began  to 
sniff  the  air  and  to  hurry  along  as  fast  as  it  was  possi- 
ble for  him  to  hobble.  I  knew  then  that  we  must  be 
near  the  Cady  oasis  and  spring,  upon  which  Reed  told 
me  we  were  to  camp  that  night.     I  toiled  up  over  a 


Hogs  and  a  Trip  to  Arizona.  17 

sand-hill  and  in  the  dim  light  before  me  I  could  see,  be- 
low, the  camp.  I  left  the  bronco  to  follow,  ran  down 
the  incline  to  the  beautiful  spring,  which  made  Camp 
Cady  famous,  and  without  speaking  to  any  one  and  with- 
out removing  my  clothes,  I  dived  headlong  into  the  cold 
water.  The  boys  concluded  that  I  had  gone  insane  and 
quickly  grabbed  hold  of  me  and  pulled  me  out.  The 
plunge  bath  revived  me,  and  I  was  soon  able  to  do  jus- 
tice to  the  supper  that  Reed  cooked  and  to  rather  enjoy 
the  compliments  that  were  paid  to  the  "  tenderfoot " 
who  had  been  able  to  take  care  of  himself  in  a  genuine 
and  furious  sand-storm  on  the  Mojave  Desert. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MR.      SNOWBALL  ;       THE      BELCHER       AND      LIZZIE      BULLOCK 

MINES. 

We  arrived  at  Ivanpah  without  further  mishap,  and 
then  began  my  career  as  a  miner  ;  a  career  which  for 
diversity  of  experience  and  wide  range  of  country  ex- 
plored, exploited  and  operated  in,  has  never  been 
equaled  by  another  individual. 

My  partner,  Reed,  I  quickly  discovered,  was  a  straight- 
forward, practical  fellow,  and  although  only  twenty-one 
years  old,  was  well  up  in  the  art  of  prospecting  and 
knew  as  much  about  mines  and  mining  as  any  one  in 
the  camp.  Soon  after  reaching  Ivanpah  we  purchased 
the  Lizzie  Bullock  mine — a  single  location  upon  which 
no  work  had  been  done  but  which  showed  surface  indi- 
cations in  the  way  of  little  knife-like  seams  of  sulphu- 
rets  of  silver  running  through  the  limestone  formation. 
Much  to  my  surprise  Reed  knew  how  to  assay  and  had 
with  him  an  outfit  for  simple  tests.  He  found  that  the 
sulphurets  carried  about  six  hundred  ounces  of  silver 
to  the  ton,  and,  although  there  were  nothing  but  knife- 
streaks  in  sight,  he  advised  buying  the  claim  at  Clark's 
price,  which  was  five  hundred  dollars.  Reed  had  no 
money,  but  sewed  up  in  my  clothes  were  enough  green- 
backs to  buy  the  Lizzie  Bullock.  We  bought  the  prop- 
erty and  began  work.  It  did  not  take  me  long  to  find 
out  that  by  following  up  the  little  seams  we  would  come 
to  places  where  the  seam  widened  and  into  little  chim- 
neys of  ore,  which  would  be  from  six  to  twelve  inches  in 
width,  with  a  pay  chute  eight  to  ten  feet  long.  These 
were  our  bonanzas,  and  from  them  we  took  our  ore  sup- 
ply by  means  of  a  tunnel  only.  As  soon  as  we  had  out 
two  or  more  tons  we  packed  it  on  mules  and  would  start 
on  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  mile  journey  to  Los  An- 
geles.    As  there  were  sixty  miles  of  desert  to  cross  we 


Mr.  Snowball;  the  Belcher  and  Lizzie  Bullock  Mines.  19 

also  packed  water  and  food,  and  the  trip  was  always  a 
hard  one. 

On  one  of  our  trips  across  the  Mojave  Desert,  in  Au- 
gust, 1872,  the  weather  was  very  hot  and  dry  and  the 
sand  and  alkali  were  fearful.  To  add  to  our  troubles 
our  cook  went  crazy.  He  was  a  white-haired  man,  with 
those  peculiar  gray  eyes  so  hard  to  explain  but  belong- 
ing always  to  occultists,  men  of  limited  education  and 
new  ideas.  After  braining  his  faithful  dog  with  an  axe, 
he  was  secured  and  firmly  bound  with  ropes  to  a  wagon 
wheel.  I,  also  burning  with  a  fever,  lay  near  him.  Be- 
ing the  youngest  of  the  party  he  addressed  me,  when 
alone,  as  follows  : 

"  I  am  going  to  die.  I  have  been  a  success,  yet  not  a 
success.  Hear  the  history  of  my  life  ;  listen,  learn  and 
profit  by  it."  Then  he  said,  very  slowly  :  "  I  first  went 
to  raising  mice.  I  was  a  success.  I  raised  a  world  of 
mice,  but  1  said,  '  Oh,  the  end  does  not  justify  the  means.' 
I  resolved  to  raise  elephants.  Here  again  was  I  a  suc- 
cess. Hundreds  and  thousands  of  elephants  did  I  raise 
— elephants  white  and  blue.  But,  the  result !  The 
markets  of  the  world  were  sooii  supplied,  and  with  *  ele- 
phants to  sell,'  I  was  poor  indeed.  My  son,  would  you 
succeed,  raise  neither  mice  nor  elephants.  vSize  your- 
self up."     He  died,  but  I  never  forgot  the  lesson. 

Arriving  at  Los  Angeles  our  product  was  taken  by 
Lazard  Fr^res,  who  paid  us  a  uniform  price  of  seven 
hundred  dollars  a  ton  (silver  was  then  worth  $1.29  an 
ounce),  giving  us  whatever  merchandise  we  thought 
best  to  pack  back  and  crediting  us  with  any  balance 
that  might  be  due  ;  the  result  was  that  our  capital  at 
"  The  Fr^res  "  increased  steadily.  Reed  and  myself  be- 
gan to  be  recognized  as  successful  miners,  and  we  were 
both  happy  and  contented. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  miners  to  know  that  the  ore 
in  our  chimneys  changed  from  black  sulphurets  at  the 
surface  to  rich  yellow  chloride  of  silver  at  a  little  depth, 
then  to  antimonial  silver,  and  sometimes  sand  carbo- 
nates came  in  ;  but  the  silver  values  always  remained 
about  the  same. 

I  was  now  on  the  high  road  to  fortune.  But,  of 
course,  something  had  to  happen.  It  came  unexpect- 
edly,  and   disastrously.     We   started    a   pack    train   of 


20  Jim   Wardner. 

twenty  animals  and  five  men  one  morningf,  and  all  that 
we  ever  recovered  therefrom  were  the  dead  and  muti- 
lated bodies  of  our  packers.  The  Apaches  had  been 
troublesome  farther  east,  but  we  had  no  fear  that  they 
would  come  in  west  of  the  San  Francisco  Mountains. 
But  they  did,  and  our  train  was  the  first  to  suffer.  It 
was  so  evident  to  both  Reed  and  myself  that  trouble 
had  only  just  begun  that  we  offered  the  Lizzie  Bullock 
for  sale,  and  the  McFarlands,  who  owned  the  adjoining 
property,  quickly. paid  us  our  price,  five  thousand  dol- 
lars. We  had  fiVe  thousand  dollars  on  deposit  with 
Lazard  Freres,  so  that  I  quit  Ivanpah  about  five  thou- 
sand dollars  ahead  of  my  first  experience  in  mining  and 
within  less  than  a  year's  time. 

The  McFarlands  are  now  rich  men.  And  what  of 
the  Lizzie  Bullock  ?  For  more  than  twenty-five  years 
it  has  yielded  up  its  treasures  of  silver,  and  in  the  year 
1899  the  Lizzie  Bullock  is  a  bonanza,  even  at  the  low 
price  of  silver. 

Upon  arriving  at  Los  Angeles,  having  five  thousand 
dollars  burning  in  my  pocket,  and  with  the  conceit  that 
I  was  a  practical  miner,  I  was  ready  and  eager  to  try 
conclusions  with  any  proposition  that  required  nerve 
and  judgment — the  nerve  being  an  actuality  and  the 
judgment  being  my  own  conception  of  Jim  Wardner's 
ability.  I  at  once  learned  that  San  Francisco  was  in  the 
throes  of  the  greatest  speculative  investment  in  mining 
stocks  that  the  world  had  ever  known,  and  I  decided  to 
reach  the  Golden  Gate  as  quickly  as  possible.  Reaching 
San  Francisco,  I  put  up  at  the  Occidental  Hotel,  at  that 
time  the  principal  hostelry  upon  the  Pacific  Coast. 
Mackay,  Flood  and  O'Brien,  merchants,  doctors,  lawyers, 
priests,  rich  men,  poor  men,  yes,  even  beggarmen  and 
thieves — everybody  bought  and  sold  the  stocks  of  the 
Nevada  bonanzas.  Well,  those  of  us  who  were  there 
saw  some  pretty  lively  times  and  had  some  sudden  ex- 
periences. I  at  once  began  to  play  the  limit  with  my 
cash  resources,  and  in  a  very  few  days  I  was  more  than 
fifty  thousand  dollars  ahead  of  the  game. 

How  easy  it  was. 

I  began  to  seriously  blame  myself  for  having  wasted 
so  much  time  in  the  Lizzie  Bullock  and  the  tiresome 
journeys  across  the  Mojave  Desert.    I  lived  like  a  prince 


Mr.  Snowball;  the  Belcher  and  Lizzie  Bullock  Mmes.  21 

at  the  Occidental,  and  between  champagne  and  success 
my  head  was  abnormally  swollen. 

It's  different  now. 

It  gradually  became  known  that  Jim  Wardner,  the 
successful  stock  manipulator,  was  also  a  practical  miner, 
and  one  day  a  man  came  to  me  and  said : 

"  My  name  is  Snowball  and  I  am  a  stock  broker.  I 
have  heard  the  reports  of  your  activity  in  the  market, 
and  have  also  learned  that  you  are  a  practical  miner.  I 
have  use  for  a  genuine  miner  who  knows  enough  to 
keep  his  mouth  shut.  There  is  a  chance  to  make  a 
million." 

When  Mr.  Snowball  told  me  his  peculiar  name  I 
almost  laughed  in  his  face,  for  I  thought  it  must  be  an 
assumed  one  and  that  he  was  "working  me."  A  wicked 
thought  came  into  my  head — I'll  roll  you,  Mr.  Snow- 
ball— and  I  said  : 

"  I  will  call  at  your  office,  Mr.  Snowball,  and  there 
talk  over  your  plans.  I  am,  as  you  have  learned,  not 
only  a  practical,  but  a  successful  miner.  I  was  a  half 
owner  in  the  Lizzie  Bullock." 

I  visited  Mr.  Snowball's  office  that  day,  found  that  he 
was  a  genuine  broker  with  lots  of  business,  and  that  he 
was  one  of  the  few  dealers  who  believed  in  having  some., 
tangible  fact  upon  which  to  base  calculations.  The'' 
result  of  it  was  that  Mr.  vSnowball  and  I  started  tliat 
night  for  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  which  was  the  fount- 
ain source  of  all  the  excitement  and  fortune-making  of 
the  day.  Upon  arrival  at  the  wonderful  mining  town 
we  were  met  by  a  Mr.  Daly,  who  was  the  superintend- 
ent, or  manager,  of  the  Segregated  Belcher,  one  of  the 
"  boom  mines."  Examination  of  the  Segregated  Belcher 
convinced  me,  inexperienced  as  I  was,  that  the  property 
was  absolutely  valueless,  and  was  dependent  for  its 
reputation  solely  upon  its  proximity  to  the  genuine 
Belcher  and  the  Crown  Point.  Returning  to  San  Fran- 
cisco as  quickly  as  possible,  I  went  directly  to  Webster, 
Soule  &  Co.,  and  ordered  them  to  sell  Segregated  Belcher 
for  me  and  to  sell  it  quick.  In  a  very  short  time  Mr. 
Webster  came  to  me  and  said  that  affairs  were  in  such 
shape  at  Virginia  City  that  he  would  be  compelled  to 
ask  for  large  margins  upon  my  sale  of  Segregated 
Belcher.     He  wanted  forty-eight  thousand  dollars,  and 


2  2  Jim   Wardner. 

I  g-ave  it  to  him  and  thought  to  myself  how  little  these 
fellows  knew  of  the  real  situation  ;  then  I  sauntered 
back  to  the  Occidental,  gave  a  champagne  supper  to 
four  of  my  acquaintances  and  retired  with  supreme  con- 
fidence that  I  would  soon  be  recognized  as  the  smartest 
man  in  'Frisco,  I  got  up  pretty  late  the  next  morning, 
and  after  getting  out  on  the  street  I  noticed  a  good  deal 
of  hurry  and  excitement  all  about  me.  I  wondered  if 
the  market  had  "gone  all  to  pieces"  as  I,  too,  rushed 
toward  the  Stock  Exchange.  It  was  before  the  open- 
ing hour  of  the  Exchange,  but  as  I  approached  it  I  saw 
a  great  crowd  of  excited  men  about  the  curb.  In  a 
minute  more  I  was  near  enough  to  see  that  one  of  J.  R. 
Keene's  representatives  was  standing  on  an  orange 
wagon  and  shouting  :  "  I  bid  seven  hundred."  Know- 
ing that  no  stock  had  approached  any  such  figure  the 
day  before,  I  asked  the  man  at  my  elbow  : 

'*  What  stock  is  he  bidding  for  ?" 

"  Yellow  Jacket." 

"  Why,  that  closed  last  night  at  two  hundred  and 
fifty." 

"Yes;  but  the  news  came  early  this  morning  that  a 
big  bonanza  had  been  struck  in  the  lower  levels  of  the 
Gould  and  Currie  and  that  the  whole  bottom  of  the 
Comstock  is  undoubtedly  a  bed  of  solid  silver.  Where 
under  the  heavens  have  you  come  from  that  you  haven't 
heard  the  news  ?" 

"  From  my  bed,"  I  replied  vaguely  ;  then  I  braced 
myself  for  the  question  :  "  Any  bids  for  Segregated 
Belcher  ?" 

"  Just  a  few  minutes  ago  they  were  offering  five  hun- 
dred dollars  for  it." 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life — and  I  may  truthftilly 
say,  the  last  time  also — my  nerve  forsook  me.  We  were 
standing  at  the  corner  of  California  and  Montgomery 
streets,  and  I  was  obliged  to  put  niy  hand  on  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  a  building  to  prevent  my  falling  to  the 
pavement.  Then  I  rallied  sufficiently  to  get  back  to 
the  hotel,  to  reach  my  room  and  get  into  bed.  There  I 
remained  ten  days,  hardly  conscious  of  my  surround- 
ings. That  was  my  first  and  last  attack  of  nervous 
prostration.  When  I  recovered  sufficiently  to  get  out 
again  I  learned  that  Webster,  Soule  &  Co.  had  failed  ; 


Mr .  Snowball ;  the  Belcher  and  Lizzie  Bullock  Mines.  23 

that  every  dollar  of  my  money  and  $162,500  in  addition 
had  been  lost  upon  my  single  sale  of  Segregated 
Belcher.  I  noticed,  however,  that  the  few  acquaint- 
ances I  met  greeted  me  cordially,  made  no  reference  to 
my  loss,  and  then  I  discovered  that,  owing  to  the  tre- 
mendous excitement  of  the  days  I  had  been  in  bed,  no 
one  seemed  to  be  aware  that  I  was  a  pauper.  In  fact,  a 
friend  took  me  aside  and  told  me  that  he  had  a  sure 
thing  on  Hulin  and  Hunt,  of  Pioche,  Nev.,  and  advised 
me  to  buy  at  once.  He  had  already  left  me  when  Mr. 
Snowball  happened  along.  To  my  surprise  Mr.  Snow- 
ball shook  hands  with  me  and  greeted  me  with  : 

"  Hello,  Jim  ;  where  have  you  been  the  last  two 
weeks  ?" 

"To  the  Springs,"  I  replied,  bracing  up  and  smiling 
(I  meant  close  proximity  to  an  Occidental  Hotel  spring 
mattress). 

"  Lucky  as  ever  !  Say,  but  that  was  a  narrow  escape 
we  had.  Now,  Jim,  why  is  it  you  do  not  give  me  your 
business  ?     I  can  handle  it  as  well  as  any  one." 

"  It's  like  this.  Snowball  ;  when  I  deal  at  all  I  like  to 
do  something  worth  while,  and  so  it  is  necessary  for  me 
to  tie  up  to  a  concern  that  is  strong  enough  to  carry  me 
temporarily  in  case  I  get  in  close  quarters." 

"  My  dear  fellow,  haven't  I  made  barrels  of  money 
lately  ?  I  can  take  care  of  all  that  as  well  as  any  concern 
on  the  Exchange.     Give  me  an  order  and  see." 

"  I  have  got  a  pretty  sure  thing  on  Huhn  and  Hunt, 
and  if  you  want  to  buy  me  ten  thousand  shares  go  ahead, 
but  be  quick  about  it." 

Mr.  Snowball  rushed  away,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I 
received  notice  that  he  had  secured  a  portion  of  the 
shares  at  $3.50,  but  that  so  large  an  order  had  forced 
the  stock  up  to  $4.50,  and  that  my  average  was  an  even 
$4,  and  the  order  was  completely  filled.  Almost  in- 
stantly Huhn  and  Hunt  commenced  to  advance.  I  gave 
the  order  to  sell  when  $6  was  reached.  Snowball  un- 
loaded a  little  at  that  price  ;  then  the  market  turned,  and 
I  told  vSnowball  to  close  my  deal.  He  managed  to  do  so, 
and  the  next  day  paid  me  $3,750.  I  was  again  confident 
of  success.     Snowball  became  a  close  companion. 

"You  are  the  luckiest  man  living,"  he  would  say,  and 
I  would  reply  : 


24  Ji^   Wardner. 

"  Nerve  and  judgment  are  all  a  man  needs  in  this  mar- 
ket, Snowball." 

Then  we  began  making  deals  together.  One  day  the 
bottom  fell  out  of  the  market,  and  Snowball  and  I  were 
both  broke.  Soon  after  this  as  I  walked  along  Califor- 
nia street  one  day,  1  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket  and 
pulled  out  two  quarters — all  the  money  I  owned.  I 
stopped  upon  the  grating  in  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  a 
saloon  and  wondered  whether  I  had  better  spend  one  of 
my  quarters  for  a  "bracer."  The  coin  slipped  from  my 
fingers  and  fell  through  the  grating.  Then  I  said  to 
myself  :  "  I  have  dropped  a  coin  through  that  grating  ; 
others  must  have  done  the  same  thing  ,  there  is  prob- 
ably a  miniature  mint  down  there."  I  went  into  the 
saloon,  ordered  a  drink,  paid  for  it  with  my  last  quar- 
ter, and  then  said  to  the  bartender 

"  I  dropped  a  quarter  through  the  grating  just  now 
into  the  areaway,  and  I  want  to  go  in  there  and  pick  it 
up." 

"  Certainly  ;  go  right  down  those  stairs  and  through 
the  door  into  the  area." 

I  followed  directions,  found  my  quarter,  and  also 
several  other  coins.  Then  I  began  to  paw  over  the  dirt 
and  refuse  and  bits  of  paper,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  I  had  found  $9.60.  The  bartender  had  been  busy 
and,  of  course,  thought  no  more  of  the  customer  who 
wanted  to  go  into  the  areaway.  I  ordered  another  drink 
and  remarked  that  it  had  taken  me  some  time  to  find 
my  quarter.  I  went  out  of  that  saloon  as  happy  as  a 
lark,  I  had  nothing  to  do,  so  I  strolled  up  to  a  place  on 
Montgomery  street,  where  a  Milwaukee  acquaintance 
named  Burr  had  established  a  small  factory  for  making 
fine  shirts.  Burr  greeted  me  enthusiastically,  and  at 
once  wanted  me  to  buy  a  dozen  of  his  best  shirts  at 
$36,  remarking  casually  : 

"  Of  course  you  don't  need  any  credit,  but  it  will  help 
me  to  have  your  name  on  my  order  book  for  thirty 
days." 

"  All  right.  Burr,  wrap  them  up  and  I  will  take  them 
with  me." 

I  also  had  another  friend  in  the  shirtmaking  business, 
Ben  Wilkins,  of  Market  street.  I  took  the  package 
under  my  arm,  went  to  Wilkins'  place  and  asked  him 


Mr.  Snowball;  the  Belcher  and  Lizzie  Bullock  Mines.  25 

what  he  would  give  for  a  dozen  of  Burr's  best  make, 
that  they  did  not  suit  me  and  I  disliked  to  offend  Burr 
by  taking  them  back.  Wilkins  said  he  would  give  me 
$24,  which  I  accepted.  Then,  with  $33.60  in  my  pocket 
I  concluded  that  I  would  get  as  far  from  San  Francisco 
as  that  sum  would  carry  me.  I  must  mention  here  that 
Burr  eventually  got  full  pay  for  his  shirts. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  good  deal  of  talk  about 
new  mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  I 
found  that  I  just  had  money  enough  to  take  me  to  that 
place,  so  I  quietly  got  out  of  San  Francisco  without  bid- 
ding any  of  my  friends  good-bye. 


26 


CHAPTER   V. 

SNOW-SLIDES. 

I  reached  Salt  Lake  City  with  just  one  good  silver 
dollar  in  my  pocket.  I  found  that  there  was  a  pros- 
perous camp  at  Alta  City,  nineteen  miles  distant  from 
Salt  Lake,  and  well  up  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains.  I 
started  forthwith  for  Alta  City,  and  reached  there  that 
night  to  find  that  the  thousand  or  more  inhabitants  of 
the  town — men,  women  and  children — were  living-  com- 
fortably and  happily  forty  feet  beneath  the  hard  crust 
of  snow  which  formed  the  surface  of  the  canon,  and 
through  which  innumerable  stovepipes  were  sticking 
like  a  lot  of  black  posts.  Here,  indeed,  was  a  novelty. 
I  literally  went  "  down  town  "  in  this  my  first  visit  to 
Alta  City,  for  to  get  there  I  had  to  descend  forty  feet 
by  means  of  snow  steps  cut  in  corkscrew  fashion  down  a 
forty-foot  shaft.  Here  were  streets,  cabins,  stores,  sa- 
loons and  all  the  characteristics  of  a  prosperous  mining 
camp.  The  streets  were  tunnels,  and  the  means  of 
egress  from  the  town,  by  way  of  the  many  shafts,  gave 
plenty  of  air  circulation.  It  was  a  warm,  cozy  place, 
and  its  inhabitants  did  not  seem  to  think  that  there  was 
anything  particularly  unique  in  the  situation.  I  went 
to  a  boarding  house,  and  the  next  morning  Lem  Col- 
bath,  manager  of  the  Flagstaff  mine,  gave  me  a  job  at 
snow  shoveling,  the  object  being  to  get  at  a  lumber  pile 
the  top  of  which  was  some  twenty  feet  beneath  the  sur- 
face. In  the  meantime  I  discovered  that  I  was  in  a 
highly  prosperous  camp.  The  Little  Emma  mine  joined 
the  Flagstaff,  and  was  becoming  a  great  producer.  Gen. 
Robert  Schenck,  who  taught  our  English  cousins  the 
fascinations  of  draw  poker,  had  promoted  the  Little 
Emma  to  an  English  syndicate  to  the  tune  of  five  mill- 
ion dollars.  The  mines  were  quite  a  distance  up  the 
mountains  from  Alta  City,  and  the  crust  upon  the  snow 
in  the  canon  was  so  thick  and  strong  that  horses  could 
safely  haul  the  ore  from  the  dumps  in  rawhides  right 
on  the  surface.  The  Little  Emma  shipped  its  product 
direct  to  Swansea,  Wales,  where  it  was  worth  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  ton  net. 


S7io%u-Slidcs.  27 

With  other  men  I  was  put  at  work  to  dig  out  the 
lumber  pile,  and  we  had  nearly  completed  our  second 
day's  labor  when  suddenly  some  one  in  the  crew 
shouted,  "  She's  coming  ! "  Every  man  started  for  a 
shaft  to  reach  the  town,  I  following  without  knowing 
just  what  was  the  matter  but  realizing  that  some  sort  of 
danger  was  imminent.  And  we  were  none  too  quick, 
for  in  less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  write  it  a  vast  ava- 
lanche had  come  down  the  mountain,  piling  thirty  feet 
more  of  snow  on  Alta  City,  making  a  total  of  about 
seventy  feet  in  the  lowest  portions  of  the  town.  I  began 
to  think  that  I  was  in  more  of  a  hole  than  I  had  been  in 
San  Francisco.  The  people  of  Alta,  however,  did  not 
seem  to  worry  any  over  the  situation,  and  the  men 
at  once  began  the  work  of  raising  up  through  the  new 
snow  from  the  various  air-shafts.  Before  the  next 
morning  there  was  communication  again  between  Alta 
City  and  the  unburied  world.  A  similar  slide  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  canon  destroyed  Eldorado  and 
twenty  men,  women  and  children,  and  caught  a  mule 
train  and  killed  ten  drivers  and  forty  mules.  The  killed 
people  were  nearly  all  Mormons. 

A  curious  thing  in  connection  with  the  calamity  was 
the  fact  that  the  body  of  the  boss  of  the  mule  train, 
Frank  Hart  wig,  was  not  recovered  until  the  following 
July.  In  the  meantime  his  widow  had  married  Bill 
Borum,  and  when  Hartwig's  body  was  found  it  was 
given  proper  burial,  his  former  wife  and  new  husband 
being  chief  mourners. 

I  applied  to  Colbath  for  my  two  days'  pay,  received 
six  dollars,  and  started  for  Salt  Lake  City.  Arriving 
there,  I  went  directly  to  the  Townsend  House,  then  the 
best  hotel  in  town,  had  a  good  sleep  that  night  and  got 
up  in  the  morning  determined  to  do  business.  I  noticed 
a  prosperous  looking  gentleman  about  the  hotel  office 
and  soon  made  his  casual  acquaintance.  His  name  was 
Goss  and  he  was  from  New  York.  He  was  looking  for 
a  mine — a  cheap  one.  It  did  not  take  me  long  to  find 
prospectors  who  had  claims  to  sell.  One  bright  young 
fellow  had  a  location  which  he  had  named  the  Miner's 
Pride.  He  wanted  some  money.  I  took  a  bond,  or  option 
on  it,  went  to  the  hotel,  and  sold  Mr.  Goss  the  Miner's 
Pride  at  a  profit  of  two  thousand  dollars  on  my  bond. 


28  Jim   VVardner. 

I  was  ready  to  fly  high  again. 

Then  I  sent  to  Milwaukee  for  my  young  wife  and  baby 
boy  to  come  to  Salt  Lake  City.  They  came  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days,  and  upon  their  arrival  I  felt  the  courage 
of  a  new  determination  to  succeed.  I  took  some  pains 
to  become  acquainted  with  leading  Mormons,  and  I  was 
soon  quite  chummy  with  Col.  Little,  the  commander  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion,  an  organization  perfected  for  the 
express  purpose  of  fighting  United  States  troops  if  ne- 
cessity and  policy  so  dictated.  Col.  Little  gave  me  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  "  all  good  Mormons,"  and  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  making  many  friends  among  them  and  in 
learning  much  about  their  habits,  traits  of  character,  etc. 
After  a  brief  stay  at  the  Townsend  House,  my  wife, 
boy  and  self  secured  board  at  Bishop  Spencer's  resi- 
dence. Spencer  was  about  sixty  years  old,  and  among 
his  many  wives  were  two  very  young  persons,  one  not 
more  than  seventeen  years  old.  These  girls  Spencer 
used  to  lock  up  in  their  rooms  every  night.  There  were 
quite  a  number  of  boarders  in  the  Bishop's  big  house, 
and  as  several  of  them  were  young  fellows  of  lively  dis- 
position I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Bishop's  pre- 
cautions were  well  taken.  It  was  said  that  Spencer  had 
seventy  children. 

I  became  acquainted  after  awhile  with  Mr.  J.  C. 
Hollingwood,  of  Big  Cottonwood,  about  twenty  miles 
from  Salt  Lake  City,  and  I  bought  in  the  Dolly  Varden 
rnine  with  him.  In  a  short  time  we  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  sell  the  property  to  Eastern  parties.  When  the 
sale  was  consummated  I  had  a  little  more  than  four 
thousand  dollars,  and  concluded  that  I  would  return  to 
Milwaukee,  settle  down  to  some  quiet  business,  and 
never  again  be  tempted  into  the  vortex  of  speculation. 
But  it  happened  about  the  time  we  reached  our  old 
home  the  townspeople  were  in  the  throes  of  one  of  those 
wheat  deals  which  William  Young  and  Peter  McGeach 
knew  so  well  how  to  handle.  The  whole  town  was  buy- 
ing wheat.  It  was  California  and  Montgomery  street 
over  again  on  a  small  scale. 

My  four  thousand  dollars  lasted  less  than  ten  days. 

I  knew  then  that  I  might  possibly  be  considered  a 
miner  but  certainly  could  not  be  classed  as  an  agricul- 
turist. 


29 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  NATIONAL  CANDY  BANK. 

Broken  again,  and  somewhat  moody,  I  stuck  pretty 
close  to  the  house  for  several  days,  and  as  I  was  carry- 
ing many  sheets  of  paper  with  all  sorts  of  apparently 
unintelligible  figures  and  calculations  my  wife  became 
alarmed  under  the  impression  that  I  might  possibly  be 
a  "little  off."  As  she  would  ask  me  questions  in  a 
round-about  manner  to  see  if  I  knew  what  I  was  doing, 
I,  not  comprehending  what  she  was  driving  at,  would 
of  course  answer  in  ways  that  seemed  strange,  and  she 
became  sure  that  I  was  loco.  She  had  consulted  our 
mothers,  of  course,  as  to  what  had  best  be  done — no  one 
had  seen  me  remain  in  the  house  before  for  three  con- 
secutive days — when  I  surprised  her  by  saying  that  I 
was  going  to  St.  Louis  and  might  possibly  open  a  na- 
tional bank  there. 

That  settled  it. 

Before  a  physician  could  be  summoned,  however,  I 
had  given  my  wife  a  hint  that  led  her  to  believe  that  I 
was  not  quite  insane  after  all.  I  had  finished  my  calcu- 
lations, and  went  downtown,  called  upon  Mr.  B.  B.  Hop- 
kins and  asked  him  to  loan  me  three  hundred  dollars, 
which  he  did.  Then  I  told  my  brother  Edward  and  a 
bright  young  fellow  named  George  WashingtonBurr  that 
if  they  would  go  to  St.  Louis  with  me  on  a  business  trip 
I  would  give  them  twenty-five  dollars  per  week  and  pay 
all  expenses.  Without  asking  any  questions  they  ac- 
cepted the  offer.  I  purchased  three  tickets  to  St.  Louis 
and  we  were  soon  on  the  way.  Arriving  at  St.  Louis  in 
the  morning,  we  went  to  Laclede  Hotel,  corner  of  Locust 
and  Sixth  streets;  and  after  breakfast  I  started  out  to 
find  a  suitable  location  for  the  business  I  intended  to 
conduct.  I  did  not  have  to  leave  the  front  of  the  hotel 
for  that,  because  I  saw  that  there  was  a  vacant  store  in 
the  hotel  building  and  that  it  was  just  what  I  wanted.    I 


30  Jim   Wardner. 

returned  to  the  hotel  office,  found  the  proprietor,  asked 
him  what  rent  he  would  ask  for  the  room  on  a  seven- 
day  lease.  He  said  ten  dollars  per  day.  I  took  out  my 
borrowed  money,  paid  him  seventy  dollars,  and  felt  that 
I  had  made  a  good  beginning,  even  if  my  money  was 
going  pretty  fast.  Then  I  gave 'the 'boys  their  instruc- 
tions for  the  day,  each  to  do  certain 'things.  All  three 
of  us  put  in  as 'lively  a  forenoon's  work  as  was  ever  seen 
in  conservative  old  St.  Louis,  and  with  this  result : 

By  three  o'clock  that  afternoon  1  was  seated  upon  the 
high  front  seat  of  the  best  band-wagon  in  the  town, 
with  the  driver  in  uniform  at  my  side  handling  the 
reins  over  four  coal-black  horses.  Each  animal  was 
gayly  caparisoned  and  was  decked  out  with  white  sheet 
blankets  trimmed  with  "blue,  and  upon  each  sheet  was 
painted  in  big  red  letters  : 

''THE  NATIONAL  CANDY  BANK." 

A  band  of  fifteen  pieces  occupied  seats  in  the  wagon 
and  played  lively  airs  as  we  paraded  the  streets  of  the 
city,  while  Ed  and  George  were  busy  distributing  hand- 
bills to  the  crowds  that  were  attracted  by  the  music. 
These  handbills  read : 

"  MONEY  FOR  ALL  ! 

"  Come  to  The  National    Candy  Bank    this 

"  Evening  in  the  Laclede  Hotel. 

"5,000  lbs.  Granulated  Sugar  to  be  sold  at 

"5  cents  per  pound." 

(Granulated  sugar  at  that  time  was  wholesaling  at 
ten  cents  per  pound.) 

Occasionally  I  could  hear  some  fellow  in  the  crowd 

say,  "  What  in  h is  the  National  Candy  Bank  ? "  The 

handbills  explained  nothing,  and  I  felt  that  the  curios- 
ity aroused  by  them,  together  with  the  signs  upon  the 
horses,  would  bring  out  a  lot  of  people. 

In  the  meantime,  work  that  I  had  ordered  done  was 
progressing  at  our  place  of  business.  The  whole  front 
of  the  room  (which  was  40x120  feet)  was  of  glass,  and 
upon  each  of  the  two  windows  was  painted,  "  National 
Candy  Bank."  Hastily  constructed  counters  started 
from  each  side  of  the  large  double  doorway  and  ran 


The  National  Candy  Bank.  31 

back  to  a  cross  counter,  behind  which  was  to  be  the 
cashier's  position,  I,  of  course,  being  the  cashier.  Upon 
the  left  wall  was  a  big  banner  : 

"  National  Candy  Bank. 
"  our  manner  of  doing  business. 

"  Wishing  to  introduce  our  famous  National  Candy- 
Bank  candy  to  the  good  people  of  St.  Louis,  we  offer 
you  the  following  privileges  : 

"  We  will  sell  you  one  stick  of  candy  for  5  cents  ;  -6 
sticks  of  candy  for  25  cents  ;  13  sticks  of  candy  for  50 
cents.  Each  stick  of  candy  is  wrapped  in  paper,  within 
which  will  be  found  a  beautiful  and  poetic  motto  ;  also 
a  guaranteed  privilege  entitling  the  purchaser  to  buy 
from  one  to  fifty  pounds  of  granulated  sugar  at  5  cents 
per  pound, 

"OR 

"A  Package  of  Envelopes  at  5    Cents   per  Bunch 

"  No  Blanks." 

Back  of  the  counter  on  the  left  side  of  the  room  was 
a  sign: 

"  I  Sell  Granulated  Sugar  at  5  Cents  per  Pound," 

The  sign  back  of  the  counter  on  the  right  side  of  the 
room  read : 

"  I  Pay  10  Cents  per  Pound  for  Granulated  Sugar." 

I  had  put  up  a  card  in  one  of  the  windows,  which 
read :  "  Talker  wanted.  Apply  within  at  5  o'clock 
p.  M."  At  that  hour  there  were  several  applicants  for 
the  position,  and  among  them  was  a  queer-looking  speci- 
men of  the  long,  lank  Missourian,  who  had  one  glass 
eye,  carried  a  big  hickory  cane,  said  that  he  was  a  re- 
formed Methodist  preacher,  and  that  he  could  see  by 
our  "  fixin's  "  just  what  our  scheme  was,  and  that  he 
could  surely  do  it  justice.  I  engaged  him  to  come 
at  six  forty-five  sharp,  although  Ed  and  George  both 
declared  that  the  employment  of  a  one-eyed  man  meant 
bad  luck. 

The  particular  candy  I  intended  to  use  was  what  was 
known  as  "pipe-stem,"  and  it  was  manufactured  in 
Cincinnati.      It  was  very  cheap  per  pound,  and  there 


32  Jim   Wardyier. 

were  a  good  many  sticks  to  the  pound.  As  soon  as  I 
had  formulated  my  plan — during  the  time  my  wife 
thought  I  was  crazy — and  even  before  I  had  borrowed 
the  three  hundred  dollars  from  Mr.  Hopkins,  I  had  sent 
an  order  for  one  hundred  pounds  of  "  pipe-stem," 
together  with  printed  mottoes,  to  be  sent  by  express 
C.  O.  D.,  to  St.  Louis.  The  privileges  I  printed  to  the 
number  of  many  thousands.  I  hired  a  number  of  girls 
to  wrap  up  the  sticks  of  candy,  mottoes  and  privileges 
in  tissue  paper  cut  to  the  proper  size,  and  enough  for 
the  first  performance  were  quickly  prepared. 

At  seven  o'clock  that  evening  the  crowd  began  to 
gather,  and  by  seven-thirty  the  room  was  filled  with 
men  and  women,  who  walked  around  and  around  like  a 
lot  of  sheep  "  milling,"  looked  at  the  signs  and  banners, 
peered  into  the  big  box  of  candy  by  which  I  sat,  and 
made  all  sorts  of  remarks;  but  not  a  nickel's  worth  of 
the  National  Candy  Bank's  candy  did  they  buy.  Then 
I  signed  to  my  reformed  preacher,  and  he  stepped  upon 
the  cashier's  counter  and  began  his  harangue.  I  have 
heard  many  men  of  world-wide  reputation  address 
audiences,  have  listened  to  the  best  side-show  fakirs, 
and  have  been  inveigled  by  mere  words  to  part  with  a 
whole  lot  of  money,  but  I  never  listened  to  so  effective 
a  sermon  as  my  "  talker  "  delivered  in  about  ten  min- 
utes' time.  When  he  had  finished,  every  man  and  woman 
was  a  convert  to  the  theory  that  the  National  Candy 
Bank  was  the  most  philanthropic  institution  ever  estab- 
lished. Then  a  woman  bought  five  cents'  worth  of 
candy,  and,  of  course,  I  judiciously  selected  the  stick 
for  her.  It  called  for  the  privilege  to  buy  five  pounds 
of  sugar  for  twenty-five  cents.  She  hurried  to  the  sell- 
ing counter,  paid  her  money,  received  a  neatly  done  up 
package  of  five  pounds  of  sugar  ;  stepped  across  to  the 
opposite  counter  and  received  fifty  cents.  Everybody 
was  watching  her.  Then  the  crowd  began  to  surge 
toward  the  counter,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  from 
the  time  of  the  first  sale  I  had  to  get  the  assistance  of 
my  "  talker  "  to  count  and  hand  out  the  sticks  of  candy, 
while  I  took  in  the  money  and  made  change.  This 
continued  until  ten  o'clock.  My  "talker"  then  an- 
nounced that  the  National  Candy  Bank  would  close  for 
the  evening,  but  that  it  would  open  at  two-thirty  p.  m. 


The  National  Candy  Bank.  33 

the  next  day,  in  order  to  grive  the  ladies  and  the  dear 
little  children  an  opportunity  to  listen  to  delicious  music 
(I  had  concluded  to  hire  a  band  for  the  matinee  per- 
formance), get  pure,  wholesome  National  Candy  Bank 
candy,  and  make  a  few  dimes  or  quarters  on  the  side. 

It  took  me  until  midnight  to  get  things  straightened 
out,  count  the  cash,  and  prepare  for  the  next  day's  mati- 
nee. I  found  that  my  gross  sales  that  night  were  over 
seven  hundred  dollars. 

Before  relating  more  of  the  curious  history  of  the  Na- 
tional Candy  Bank  I  will  explain  the  somewhat  peculiar 
merits  of  my  system.  The  candy  cost  about  one-tenth 
of  a  cent  per  stick  ;  the  motto,  privilege,  and  wrapping 
brought  the  total  up  to  one-fifth  of  a  cent.  I  made, 
therefore,  on  the  sales  of  single  sticks  four  and  four- 
fifth  cents,  and  on  the  general  average  about  four  cents 
per  stick  of  candy  sold.  Only  one  barrel  of  sugar  was 
necessary,  because  the  packages  were  simply  shifted 
from  the  selling  counter  to  the  purchasing  counter  and 
back  again.  A  very  large  percentage  of  the  privileges 
were  to  buy  a  package  of  envelopes  at  five  cents.  The 
envelopes  I  purchased  at  25  cents  per  hundred  pack- 
ages. Again,  the  person  who  obtained  the  privilege  of 
purchasing  the  sugar  at  five  cents  a  pound  must  have 
paid  at  least  four  cents  for  the  privilege,  and  as  he 
must  also  pay  five  cents  for  the  sugar  he  was  paying  a 
total  of  nine  cents  per  pound.  It  is  true  that  he  re- 
ceived ten  cents  back  ;  but  for  every  sale  by  which  we 
lost  on  the  sugar,  we  made  more  than  ten  sales  which 
netted  at  least  nine  cents  profit  each. 

The  next  evening  the  crowd  was  so  large  that  we  had 
difficulty  in  handling  them.  A  great  many  were  col- 
ored people,  and  they  were  really  the  best  buyers. 
About  an  hour  before  the  sale  began,  as  I  was  seated 
upon  a  lemon  box  in  the  cashier's  place,  a  large,  fine- 
looking  young  man  sauntered  in,  came  up  to  me  and 
said  : 

"  What  are  you  running  a  lottery  for  ?  Don't  you 
know  that  you  can't  run  a  place  like  this  in  St.  Louis  ?" 

"Who  are  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  am  an  officer,"  and  he  showed  me  a  badge. 

"  I  have  a  commercial  license  and  think  I  have  aright 
to  use  it  and  continue  my  selling  of  sugar." 


34  Ji^'i   Wardncr. 

"  I  guess  not,  young  fellow  ;  just  close  up  this  she- 
bang and  come  with  me." 

I  knew  the  man  was  an  officer  and  disposed  to  make 
me  trouble,  but  I  intuitively  felt  that  I  was  being  held 
up  in  some  way,  so  I  said  : 

"  Now  see  here,  last  night's  business  convinces  me 
that  I  have  got  a  good  thing  here,  and  if  I  am  let  alone 
for  awhile  I  can  make  some  money  and  afford  to  spend 
some  of  it  in  St.  Louis  ;  but  if  I  am  forced  to  close  right 
now,  then  it  will  break  me.  Can't  I  at  least  go  on  with 
the  sale  to-night  ?  " 

"  Well,  go  ahead  then,  but  to-morrow  morning  you 
put  in  an  appearance  at  the  Five  Courts,  so  I  won't 
have  to  come  after  you.     Hear  ?  " 

"  All  right  ;  I  will  do  as  you  say." 

The  officer — now  a  very  prominent  man — left,  and  I 
was  feeling  pretty  blue,  but  in  a  few  minutes  an  active 
little  chap  came  in  and  said  : 

"  Was  Officer in  here  a  few  minutes  ago  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  You  want  to  run  this  joint,  of  course.  You  do  as  I 
tell  you.  My  place  is  right  across  the  way.  After  you 
close  to-night  you  come  over  there,  and  go  up  to  a  sit- 
ting-room. There  you  will  find  two  women  sitting  at  a 
table.  You  greet  them  as  though  you  were  an  old 
acquaintance,  and  order  a  quart  bottle  of  champagne. 
That  will  pay  me  for  my  trouble  in  coming  over  here, 
and  they  will  do  the  right  thing  for  you." 

We  had  a  more  successful  night  even  than  the  open- 
ing, and  I  had  to  fairly  drive  the  crowd  out  when 
closing  time  came. 

At  the  afternoon  sale  a  very  sweet-faced,  but  rather 
poorly  clad  little  girl  came  in,  walked  as  quickly  as  she 
could  to  where  the  candy  and  privileges  were  sold 
and  handed  me  five  cents.  I  selected  one  of  the  sure 
sugar  sticks  of  candy  and  gave  it  to  her.  She  was 
greatly  delighted  and  excited  upon  examining  her  priv- 
ilege, for  it  gave  her  the  right  to  buy  fifty  pounds  of 
sugar.  She  almost  ran  out  of  the  place  two  dollars 
ahead,  and  I  had  noticed  at  the  time  that  she  had 
crossed  the  street  and  went  into  a  saloon — the  very 
place  I  was  to  go  to  as  soon  as  I  had  closed.  I  went  as 
I  had  been  told  to,  found  the  two  flashily  dressed  young 


TJie  National  Candy  Bank.  35 

women  at  the  table,  and  I  ordered  a  quart  bottle  of 
champagne  which  we  disposed  of  ;  then  the  two  women 
left.  They  were  hardly  out  of  the  door  when  my 
official  caller  entered. 

"  Hello,"  he  said  ;   "  good  trade  to-night  ? " 

"  Oh,  just  medium." 

"  So  you  want  to  continue  to  sell  sugar,  do  you  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  sugar's  what  we  want." 

"  About  how  much  per  night  ? "  I  asked,  comprehend- 
ing fully  that  I  was  up  against  "  protection." 

"  One  hundred  dollars  now,  and  one  hundred  dollars 
per  night  while  you  stay." 

"  I  can't  pay  any  such  price,  nor  do  I  intend  to.  I  am 
willing  to  do  the  fair  thing,  but  neither  you  nor  anybody 
else  can  get  all  the  sugar." 

To  my  surprise  that  seemed  to  rather  please  him. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  all  there  is  in  it.  No  use  to  kill  the 
goose  that  lays  the  golden  Q^z,  you  know.  Suppose  I 
say  one  hundred  dollars  to-night — that's  two  nights, 
you  know — and  fifty  dollars  each  succeeding  night  that 
you  stay  ? " 

"All  right,  I'll  do  it,"  and  I  started  to  give  him  the 
one  hundred  dollars,  when  he  said  : 

"  Give  it  to  George  (the  saloon-keeper),  and  also  pay 
the  fifty  dollars  to  him  each  night.  You  will,  quite 
naturally,  want  to  buy  a  bottle  of  wine  from  him  each 
night  when  you  hand  him  the  fifty  dollars.  If  any  one 
else  bothers  you,  tell  them  to  get  out.  I  will  attend  to 
anybody  who  tries  to  bluff  you." 

This  high  official  of  the  city  of  vSt.  Louis  was  not  the 
only  one  of  his  kind,  for  the  next  day  the  head  of  a  de- 
partment called  on  me  and  deliberately  told  me  that  un- 
less he  got  one  hundred  dollars  a  night  it  would  go  hard 
with  me.     I  told  him  that  I  had  a  very  warm  personal 

friend  in  Mr. ,  and  that  he  had  told  me  that  if  any 

one  came  around  with  a  blackmailing  scheme  to  let  him 
know  and  he  would  have  him  arrested.  The  fellow 
skipped. 

I  had  to  telegraph  to  Cincinnati  for  more  candy,  and 
as  my  matinee  and  evening  sales  were  becoming  more 
and  more  popular  I  began  to  think  that  I  had  struck 
the  real  bonanza  of  my  business  experience.     On  the 


36  Jim   Wardncr. 

fourth  day,  however,  a  new  species  of  "  hold-up "  de- 
veloped ;  this  time  from  the  very  fountain  source  of  the 
good  government  of  St.  Louis.  It  was  intimated  to  me 
that  the  congregating  of  the  crowds  nightly  was  a 
nuisance  which  only  sugar,  more  sugar,  would  lessen ; 
and  that  the  sugar  poultice  must  be  applied  quickly  and 
to  the  right  spot  on  the  governmental  anatomy,  if  it 
was  to  have  any  soothing  effect.  Right  on  top  of  that 
the  guests  of  the  hotel  began  to  kick,  claiming  that  the 
blare  of  my  band — it  was  the  best  St.  Louis  could  afford 
— and  the  gathering  of  so  many  people  rendered  rest  at 
any  time  before  midnight  impossible.  The  proprietor 
came  to  me  and  said  that  I  would  either  have  to  give 
up  my  lease  or  he  would  have  to  quit  hotel-keeping,  and 
wanted  to  know  what  I  would  take  to  relinquish  my  re- 
maining two  days.  I  told  him  that  I  could  not  afford  to 
close  the  doors  of  the  most  popular  and  remunerative 
bank  that  the  town  had  ever  known,  for  less  than  one 
thousand  dollars.  He  stormed,  threatened,  and  finally 
said : 

"  You  paid  me  seventy  dollars  ;  now  I  will  give  you 
two  hundred  dollars  this  very  minute  if  you  will  get  out 
to-day." 

Feeling  sure  that  some  way  would  be  found  between 
the  city  government  and  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  to 
make  things  uncomfortable  and  inhospitable  for  me,  I 
finally  told  him  to  count  out  his  two  hundred  dollars. 
He  did  so  and  I  gave  him  a  receipt,  stating  that  I  would 
remove  all  semblance  of  the  great  National  Candy  Bank 
before  the  day  closed.  Then  I  informed  Ed  and  Burr 
that  the  bank  was  closed.  The  boys  wanted  to  buy  the 
outfit  and  make  a  trial  of  the  scheme  on  their  own  ac- 
count in  New  Orleans,  so  I  let  them  have  the  stuff ; 
they  went  to  the  Crescent  City  and  opened  up,  but  made 
a  failure  there.  I  returned  to  Milwaukee,  paid  Mr. 
Hopkins  in  full,  and  had  left  seventeen  hundred  and 
eighty  dollars  in  cash  in  my  pocket. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    WILD    MAN    OF    BIG    HOLE. 

It  was  some  years  after  this,  when  in  an  interval  of 
quietude,  I  heard  of  the  capture  of  a  wild  man  of  the 
woods,  near  Butte,  Mon.  The  reports  had  the  ring  of 
veracity,  and  I  determined  to  investigate.  Arriving  in 
Butte  in  November  I  immediately  drove  out  to  the 
"  Big  Hole  "  country,  the  scene  of  the  capture.  Here 
in  the  barn  of  his  captor,  I  found  a  semi-human  being 
that  could  talk,  seemingly  of  a  kind  disposition,  who 
could  not  account  for  his  condition.  He  was  extremely 
uneasy  under  restraint,  but  apparently  harmless. 

This  creature  was  short,  well  built,  and  his  body  was 
covered  with  hair  of  the  length  and  shade  of  a  black 
bear's.  The  hair  of  his  head  was  in  clusters  and  mats  as 
big  as  your  hand,  lying  plastered  on  his  head  and  dan- 
gling on  his  neck.  His  sole  raiment  was  an  old  pair  of 
pants  cut  off  at  the  knees.  These  had  been  furnished 
him  by  Mr.  Griel,  his  captor. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  he  had  eyebrows  fully  four 
inches  long,  sticking  nearly  straight  out,  behind  which 
glistened  as  bright  a  pair  of  round,  quick,  glittering 
brown  eyes  as  were  ever  seen  in  ape  or  chimpanzee.  Mr. 
Griel  listened  favorably  to  my  proposition,  the  freak 
consented,  and  we  bundled  him  into  a  wagon,  I  driving 
and  Griel  and  "  Beefsteak  Bill "  managing  the  menag- 
erie end  of  the  business. 

Our  troubles,  however,  commenced  here.  Our' horses 
were  without  blinders  on  their  bridles,  and  when  they 
sniffed  the  strong  bear  smell  of  our  captive,  they 
fiercely  tore  through  the  sage  brush,  finally  becoming 
unmanageable.  Both  Griel  and  "Beefsteak  Bill  "  came 
at  once  to  my  rescue.  Just  then  a  scared  rabbit  darted 
across  the  road.  Mr.  Bear-man  was  out  of  the  wagon 
in  a  second  and  ran  for  dear  life.     The  rabbit  squealed 


38  Jim   Wardiier. 

and  bounded  on,  but  the  bear-man  was  too  swift  for 
him,  for  a  half  a  mile  away  I  saw  the  finish. 

The  horses  were  soon  cooled  down  and  Griel,  mount- 
ing one,  went  in  pursuit  of  our  treasure,  who  awaited  his 
coming.  When  Griel  came  up  to  him  his  mouth  was 
still  bloody  from  the  eaten  rabbit,  of  which  nothing  re- 
mained except  here  and  there  some  bits  of  skull  and 
bones  and  fur.  Griel  and  Bill  walked  with  him  to 
Butte — but  far  in  the  rear  of  the  horses.  All  went  well 
until  a  bicycle  was  met,  when  his  excitement  knew  no 
bounds.  Pulling  away,  he  chased  it  briskly,  but  the 
rider,  scared  to  death  and  with  a  good  long  start,  eluded 
him.  We  came  near  losing  him,  and  would  have  done 
so  had  not  a  cowboy  accurately  thrown  a  lasso  and 
checked  him.  Throwing  a  blanket  around  him,  he  was 
marched  to  Grid's  shack,  just  outside  Butte,  and  I,  as 
manager,  started  out  to  hire  a  hall. 

After  having  a  gorgeous  banner  and  pictures  painted 
in  glowing  colors,  illustrating  his  wondrous  exploits,  I 
hired  Caplice  Hall  and  advertised  to  exhibit  him  at 
fifty  cents  admission.  Great  crowds  came  to  see  him. 
We  one  day  added  a  graphophone  to  our  show  ;  that 
settled  it.  He  disappeared  and  was  found  two  days 
afterward  in  a  prospect  hole  with  two  ribs  broken. 
Dr.  Norcross  took  charge  of  him,  but  so  hard  did  he 
plead  to  return  to  "  where  the  green  grass  grew  "  and 
the  "  cold  water  ran  "  and  fresh  rabbits  were  plentiful, 
and  where  no  "  devil's  trumpet  "  crazed  him,  that  I  con- 
sented, and  Griel  and  I  took  him  back  to  Big  Hole.  He 
had  really  ceased  to  be  a  notoriety,  but  not  before 
Griel  and  I  w.ere  much  ahead  on  the  venture.  As  the 
ghost  never  walked  in  our  show,  our  expenses  were 
minimum. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DEADWOOD    IN    THE    BLACK    HILLS. 

I  began  at  once  to  seek  out  some  sort  of  salaried  po- 
sition, thinking  that  a  sure  thing  at  the  end  of  each 
month  was  about  the  only  safe  provision  that  I  could 
make.  I  was  firmly  resolved  that  if  I  did  get  a  good 
situation,  nothing  would  tempt  me  to  leave  it.  I  even 
pictured  out  a  happy  future,  when,  by  doing  extraordi- 
nary good  work  for  some  prosperous  firm,  I  would  be  in- 
vited to  become  a  member  of  it,  and  spend  my  life  in 
that  ease  and  comfort  which  comes  only  from  systematic 
and  steady  business  effort.  "  No  more  experiences  for 
Jim  Wardner,"  I  told  my  wife.  She  was  awfully  glad 
of  my  determination.  I  called  upon  H.  Bosworth  & 
Sons,  the  large  wholesalers,  and  my  services  "  for  the 
road "  were  at  once  accepted.  I  was  given  a  route 
which  took  me  up  into  the  Northwest,  and  one  morn- 
ing I  reached  the  new  and  thriving  town  of  Yankton, 
South  Dakota. 

Almost  the  first  man  I  met  in  Yankton  was  a  fel- 
low who  had  just  returned  from  a  hurried  trip  to  the 
Black  Hills.  He  had  a  bottle  of  placer  gold.  One 
glimpse  of  the  precious  metal  was  enough  to  eradicate 
from  my  mind  any  and  all  resolutions  I  had  formed 
about  settling  down  to  a  life  of  plodding  business. 
Without  any  hesitation  or  consideration  I  returned  to 
my  hotel,  ordered  my  sample  trunks  to  be  returned  to 
H.  Bosworth  &  Sons,  Milwaukee,  and  before  mid-after- 
noon I  was  a  passenger  on  a  little  steamer  which  was 
making  its  way  up  the  Missouri  River  to  Fort  Pierre. 
The  rush  to  the  Black  Hills  had  begun,  and  the  boat 
was  crowded  with  adventurers.  My  mining  experience 
in  Arizona  qualified  me  to  make  calculations  pretty 
closely  as  to  the  outcome  of  a  stampede,  and  I  was  about 
the  only  calm  individual  in  Fort  Pierre  when  we  landed 
there. 


40  Jiy>i   Wardner. 

A  number  of  us  started  on  foot  for  Rapid  City,  i6o 
miles  distant.  We  soon  met  a  returning  bull  train,  and 
I  succeeded  in  buying  a  bronco  from  one  of  the  outfit. 
Then  I  pushed  on  alone.  That  night  I  camped  with  a 
bull-whacker  named  McCabe,  and  late  in  the  evening  a 
man  came  in  who  said  his  name  was  John  Christianson. 
He  was  without  money  and  was  hungry,  but  was  deter- 
mined to  make  his  way  to  the  Mecca  of  gold.  He  told 
me  that  he  had  been  employed  by  Clarence  Shephard 
&  Co.,  of  Milwaukee,  and  that  he  had  left  home  with 
sufficient  money  to  get  through  all  right,  but  that  at 
Sioux  City  he  had  run  up  against  a  brace  game  of  faro 
and  had  dropped  every  cent  he  had.  He  asked  me  to 
carry  his  coat  for  him  when  he  started  out  the  next 
morning,  and  he  left  the  camp  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  I 
followed  on  later,  and  when  I  overtook  him  at  Chey- 
enne Crossing  he  was  chopping  wood  to  pay  for  his 
dinner  at  Smith's  Ranch.  I  called  him  off  that  job  and 
gave  him  five  dollars — one-half  of  all  I  had  with  me.  I 
went  on,  carrying  Christianson's  coat,  and  I  saw  nothing 
more  of  him  for  the  time  being.  I  reached  Deadwood 
all  right,  kept  the  coat  with  my  belongings,  and  tirne 
passed.  Nearly  a  year  afterward  1  happened  to  be  in 
"The  Box"  saloon  when  a  fine-looking,  well-dressed 
man  came  in.  Noticing  me  he  said  :  "Aren't  you  Jim 
Wardner?"  I  replied  that  I  was  the  veritable  "Jim." 
"  I  think,  young  fellow,"  said  he,  "  that  you  have  got  a 
coat  that  belongs  to  me."  Then  I  recognized  Chris- 
tianson. 

"  Now,  Wardner,  you  gave  me  a  great  lift  when  you 
carried  my  coat  for  me,  and  I  want  you  to  join  me  in  a 
quart  bottle.  I  am  now  chief  engineer  of  the  Home- 
stake,  and  whenever  John  Christianson  can  do  you  a 
good  turn  let  him  know  it." 

It  was  only  a  short  time  after  that  before  an  election 
was  about  to  take  place.  Andrew  Plowman  was  run- 
ning for  district  attorney  ;  he  was  a  decent  sort  of  fel- 
low, but  stood  no  show  of  election  unless  he  could  carry 
Lead  City,  where,  it  was  said,  he  stood  no  show  for 
the  miner's  vote.  Plowman  came  to  me,  and  said  he 
could  do  nothing  unless  I  could  aid  him  ;  that  he  was 
all  right  except  at  Lead  City.  I  liked  Plowman,  and  so 
I  said  that  I  would  see  about  that  particular  district. 


Deadwood  in  the  Black  Hills.  41 

Then  I  went  to  Christiansen,  tolS  him  the  situation,  and 
that  Plowman  was  a  friend  of  mine.  The  result  was 
that  Plowman  carried  Lead  City,  and  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority.  But  this  is  getting  a  little  ahead  of 
my  consecutive  story. 

Upon  arrival  at  Deadwood  I  at  once  ordered  a  stock 
of  goods  from  H.  Bosworth  &  Sons.  The  firm  respond- 
ed to  my  request,  but  owing  to  a  series  of  delays  in  the 
forwarding  I  found  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  ine  to 
be  doing  something  in  the  way  of  making  money  whil£ 
the  goods  were  on  the  way.  In  looking  about  the  rap- 
idly building  city  of  Deadwood  I  discovered  that  there 
was  a  bit  of  vacant  and  unlocated  ground,  with  about 
thirty  feet  fronting  on  Lee  street,  just  below  the  point 
where  the  Deadwood  and  Whitewood  Creeks  come  to- 
gether. It  was  the  creek  itself.  Before  daylight  of  the 
morning  following  my  discovery  of  this  unlocated 
water  lot  I  had  a  pretty  good  store  building  up.  I 
wanted  the  front  to  be  of  glass,  and  all  that  part  was  of 
unglazed  sash.  There  was  no  glass  to  be  had  in  Dead- 
wood  just  then,  so  I  covered  the  sash  with  cotton  cloth. 
Finding  out  that  my  goods  were  pretty  sure  to  be  de- 
layed for  a  considerable  time,  I  had  a  bar  built  along 
one  side  of  the  room,  bought  a  barrel  of  whiskey  and  a 
few  bottles  and  glasses,  hired  a  fellow  who  said  he  had 
been  a  "star  mixer  '"  at  the  Hoffman  House  sideboard 
in  New  York  City,  and  started  my  first  saloon. 

One  evening  soon  after  the  saloon  was  in  full  blast 
my  bartender  told  me  that  he  was  compelled  to  take  a 
night  off  and  he  left  me  alone  about  ten  o'clock,  taking 
our  only  revolver  with  him.  He  had  no  more  than  left 
the  premises  before  as  scoundrelly  a  looking  fellow  as 
I  had  ever  seen  in  the  Hills  walked  in,  apparently  half 
drunk,  and  called  for  a  drink.  Just  then  I  noticed  that 
he  had  the  handle  of  a  big  dirk  knife  in  his  right  palm, 
the  blade  of  the  knife  being  concealed  by  his  coat  sleeve. 
Before  I  had  time  to  even  grab  an  ice  pick  he  made  a 
lunge  at  me.  I  dodged  the  blow  and  then,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  I  sprang  headlong  against  the 
cheesecloth  covering  of  the  front  sash  and  went  through 
it,  carrying  sash  and  all  with  me.  As  I  jumped  through 
the  sash  I  remembered  that  it  was  a  good  sixteen  feet 
to  the  flowing  water  below,  into  which  the  force  of  my 


42  Jim   Wardncr. 

jump  would  probably  carry  me.  The  result  was  that  I 
went  into  the  river  head-first,  and  it  was  with  great  dif- 
ficulty that  I  finally  extricated  myself  from  the  mass  of 
cloth,  debris  of  sash,  and  the  water,  and  got  out  upon 
the  street.  The  robber  took  about  $ioo  that  was  in  the 
till  and  escaped. 

Soon  after  this  my  goods  arrived  and  I  opened  up  the 
"Red  Front  Store,"  which  became  one  of  the  well^ 
known  establishments  of  Deadwood.  I  also  opened  a 
saloon  and  lunch  room,  which  I  styled  the  "  Oyster 
Bay,"  and  wherein  I  sold  the  first  oysters  brought  into 
Deadwood. 

I  began  to  make  enough  money  to  enable  me  to  think 
of  larger  operations  than  the  store  and  saloon  afforded, 
and  so  I  sold  out  those  establishments  and  went  into 
partnership  with  Fred  T.  Evans  (Big  Fred)  in  the 
freighting  business.  We  had  500  yoke  of  bulls 
employed  and  did  the  larger  portion  of  the  freight- 
ing between  Deadwood  and  Fort  Pierre.  This  kept 
me  most  of  the  time  on  the  road  between  the  two 
places. 

One  afternoon  as  I  was  going  west  from  Fort  Pierre 
and  was  upon  a  ridge  near  Grindstone  Buttes,  I  saw  ofif 
to  my  left  a  party  of  Indians  who  had  seen  me  and  were 
evidently  intent  upon  cutting  off  my  trail  before  I  could 
get  to  the  crossing  at  Deadman's  Creek.  The  Indians 
were  just  beginning  to  be  troublesome.  I  knew  I  had 
an  extra  good  bronco,  and  I  also  knew  that  I  had  to 
make  the  crossing  before  being  overtaken  or  it  would 
be  all  up  with  Jim  Wardner.  There  were  eight  or  ten 
Indians  in  the  party.  My  pony  was  loaded  with  the 
usual  outfit  of  blankets,  frying  pan,  coffee  pot,  etc.,  and 
two  days'  rations.  I  took  out  my  knife,  cut  all  the 
straps  that  held  my  blankets  and  kit  to  the  saddle  and 
started  for  the  ford,  the  only  place  in  many  miles  where 
a  crossing  could  be  effected.  The  moment  the  Indians 
saw  my  movements  they  let  out  their  ponies,  and  the 
race  for  Deadman's  Crossing  began.  The  Indians  were 
coming  in  at  one  angle  and  I  at  another,  with  the  dis- 
tance to  the  crossing  about  the  same  for  all  of  us.  I 
always  admired  the  running  of  a  horse.  I  saw  Salvator 
win  the  Suburban,  and  admired  him,  but  not  so  much 
^s  I  did  my  little  bronco  upon  this  somewhat  exciting 


Deadwood  in  the  Black  Hills.  43 

race.  The  little  fellow  was  on  a  slight  incline,  while 
the  Indians  were  on  the  level  bottom  land.  I  remem- 
ber that  I  said  to  the  pony  :  **  If  you  don't  stumble  in 
going  down  the  slope,  you  are  a  sure  winner."  How  he 
did  run!  He  seemed  to  know  just  as  well  as  I  did  where 
he  wanted  to  go,  and  why  it  was  necessary  to  get  there 
before  the  horses  off  to  the  left.  Now  and  then  a  bullet 
would  whistle  by,  and  that  was  as  good  encourage- 
ment to  the  bronco's  efforts  as  I  could  wish.  We 
reached  the  ford,  crossed,  and  were  comparatively 
safe,  as  the  trail  led  through  the  willows,  into  which 
the  Indians  knew  I  could  dart  any  moment,  and  they 
also  knew,  as  I  did,  that  a  big  bull  train  was  not  far 
from  the  crossing.  I  quickly  overtook  the  train,  in 
fact.  On  that  same  trip  I  found  the  dead  and  muti- 
lated bodies  of  a  Swede  and  his  wife  who  had  been 
killed  near  Wichita  Spring,  where  they  had  camped 
for  the  night.  » 

We  did  well  in  freighting,  but  bull-whacking,  even  as 
a  proprietor,  was  pretty  slow  for  me.  One  day  I 
thought  to  myself  that  it  would  be  a  money-making 
scheme  to  build  a  warehouse,  buy  up  all  the  corn,  oats 
and  feed  in  the  vicinity,  and  then  retail  it  at  my  own 
idea  of  prices  and  profits.  I  had  hardly  got  the  thought 
well  defined  before  I  asked  Fred  what  he  would  give  for 
my  interest  in  our  outfit.  He  at  once  made  me  an  offer  ; 
I  accepted,  and  within  twenty- four  hours  my  warehouse 
was  under  construction.  In  the  meantime,  I  began 
buying  the  corn,  oats,  etc.  No  person  suspected  my 
"  corner,"  as  all  thought  I  was  buying  heavily  for  our 
bull  train.  I  soon  corraled  about  all  the  grain  in  the 
various  camps,  and  had  it  safely  stored  in  my  ware- 
house, but  had  no  insurance.  Then  came  the  great  fire 
— the  fire  that  licked  Deadwood  out  of  the  gulch.  All 
that  was  left  to  me  was  my  wife  and  children,  and  they 
had  to  be  cared  for.  One  of  our  prominent  Deadwood 
citizens  was  a  Mr.  Stebbins,  of  the  banking  firm  of 
Stebbins,  Wood  &  Post,  of  Cheyenne  and  Deadwood, 
Mr.  Stebbins  running  the  Deadwood  branch.  Right 
after  the  fire  I  saw  him  standing  by  the  ruins  of  the 
bank  building,  gazing  at  the  vault  which  loomed  above 
the  red-hot  ruins.  I  told  him  that  the  fire  had  left  me 
absolutely  broke,  and  that  I  wanted  $5,000,     He  replied 


44  y^/«   Wardner. 

that  he  did  not  believe  that  there  was  anything  left  in 
the  vault.  I  urged  that  that  would  make  no  difference, 
that  a  letter  of  credit  on  Sioux  City  for  $5,000  was  what 
I  needed  and  must  have. 

"  You  generally  get  what  you  start  out  after,  Ward- 
ner," he  replied  ;  "  although  to  give  up  that  sum  of 
money  to  a  man  who  claims  to  be  dead  broke  is  hardly 
good  banking.     When  can  you  pay  it  back  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  possibly  never  ;  probably  within 
ninety  days." 

Of  course  I  got  my  letter  of  credit  on  Sioux  City  and 
I  started  for  that  town.  Arriving  at  the  "boom  city" 
of  Iowa  I  began  to  buy  eggs.  I  worked  quietly  and 
rapidly  and  soon  had  all  the  eggs  of  Southeastern  Da- 
kota and  Northwestern  Iowa  bought  and  paid  for.  My 
wholesale  buying  caused  prices  to  advance,  but  I  secured 
thousands  of  dozens  as  low  as  nine  cents  per  dozen.  I 
contracted  to  have  the  eggs  delivered  to  me,  properly 
crated,  at  Sioux  City,  on  the  steamer  C.  K.  Peck,  bound 
for  Fort  Pierre  ;  and  the  decks  of  the  boat  were  piled 
high  with  tons  upon  tons  of  my  purchases.  Freight 
trains  were  leaving  Fort  Pierre  daily  for  Deadwood,  and 
upon  arriving  there  I  quickly  succeeded  in  making  a 
contract  for  the  hauling  of  the  eggs  into  the  Black  Hills. 
The  weather  was  getting  cold  and,  foreseeing  that,  I 
had  bought  many  bales  of  blankets  at  Sioux  City.  I 
took  the  precaution  of  having  the  crates  and  boxes  of 
eggs  wrapped  in  blankets  as  they  were  loaded  upon  the 
freight  wagons.  I  went  ahead  of  the  train  and  awaited 
its  arrival  in  Rapid  City.  I  had,  of  course,  spread  the 
news  that  good,  fresh,  unfrozen  Iowa  eggs  would  be  in 
that  market  in  a  few  hours.  By  the  time  the  bull  train 
pulled  in  I  had  sold  enough  of  my  merchandise  to  get 
all  my  money  back,  pay  all  freight  bills  and  other  ex- 
penses, and  had  the  bulk  of  my  eggs  to  take  into  Dead- 
wood.  The  eggs  cost  me  in  Rapid  City  an  average  of 
$4.50  for  thirty  dozen,  and  I  sold  them  at  $15  per  thirty 
dozen.  The  sales  were  all  for  cash  and  when  I  started 
for  Deadwood  every  pocket  in  my  clothes  was  literally 
jammed  full  of  money. 

Reaching  Deadwood  ahead  of  the  train  I  at  once 
called  to  see  Mr.  Stebbins  at  his  hastily  constructed  new 
bank  building.     I  had  hardly  washed  my  hands  and  face 


Deadwood  in  the  Black  Hills.  45 

for  a  week ;  my  clothes  were  worn  and  ragged,  and  I 
looked  "  tough."  As  I  went  into  the  bank  Mr.  Stebbins 
met  me  with  a  frown  as  he  took  in  my  dilapidated  ap- 
pearance. He  did  not  offer  to  "  shake,"  but  said  :  "  See 
here,  Jim  ;  I  have  heard  that  you  used  up  that  letter  of 
credit,  then  overdrew  your  account,  and  have  been  haul- 
ing in  tons  of  worthless  frozen  eggs  into  the  camp.  What 
in  the  devil  do  you  expect  to  do  ?  My  letting  you  have 
the  $5,000  and  your  over-drafts  have  put  me  in  the  hole 
in  great  shape.  Right  this  minute  I  have  got  to  have 
$11,000  and  don't  know  where  to  get  the  currency.  You 
are  the  d dest  fool  I  ever  saw." 

Then  I  laughed.  Of  course,  Mr.  Stebbins  took  my 
light  treatment  of  so  serious  a  matter  with  quick  anger. 
Then  I  said  to  him  :  "You  want  $11,000  in  currency  ? 
Well,  Mr.  Stebbins,  let's  see  what  the  bank  of  Jim 
Wardner  can  do  for  you.  These  old  clothes  are  about 
the  safest  and  best  bank  vault  in  the  Hills,  Stebbins, 
and  you  are  welcome  to  the  combination." 

Then  I  began  to  unload  loads  of  money  from  every 
pocket.  The  greenbacks  piled  up  and  piled  up  on  a 
table  by  which  we  were  standing,  and  Stebbins  began 
to  smile.  Soon  there  was  fully  $1 1,000  withdrawn  from 
my  vaults,  and  the  most  surprised  man  in  the  Hills  was 
the  banker  of  Deadwood.  After  I  had  sold  out  all  the 
eggs  I  was  nearly  $7,000  ahead  on  the  deal  and  was  ready 
to  tackle  some  new  enterprise. 

About  that  time  the  walking  contest  mania  had 
reached  Deadwood,  and  I  concluded  if  I  could  get  some 
lively  young  chaps  to  claim  the  walking  championship 
of  their  respective  camps  that  I  could  get  up  a  contest 
that  would  make  some  money.  I  selected  a  young  man 
named  Hope  to  represent  Lead  City,  a  fellow  named 
Cody  as  the  champion  of  Central  City,  and  a  man  named 
Smith,  who  had  but  recently  married,  to  do  the  honors 
for  Deadwood.  I  hired  the  Big  Bonanza  Hall,  fixed 
the  contest  at  sixty  hours,  and  began  to  work  up  excite- 
ment in  the  three  camps,  each,  of  course,  being  imme- 
diately anxious  to  have  its  representative  win  the  great 
race-  and  the  Walking  Championship  of  the  Hills.  It 
was  to  be  a  go-as  you-please  affair.  I  thought  there 
was  good  timber  in  Smith  and  so  I  got  him  away  upon 
a  ranch  where  I  put  him  in  the  hands  of  a  man  who 


46  Jim   Wardner. 

understood  training.  I  concluded  that  if  the  Deadwood 
candidate  won  I  would  make  a  lot  of  money  in  the  bet- 
ting, which  I  knew  was  sure  to  take  place.  The  price 
of  admission  was  $i.oo,  and  during  the  time  of  the  race 
the  hall  was  packed  all  the  time.  The  betting  was 
furious,  and  I  remember  that  John  Worth  sold  more 
than  $20,000  in  pools. 

As  I  had  judged.  Smith  was  an  easy  winner  and  cov- 
ered over  200  miles.  Toward  the  close  of  the  race  and 
when  it  was  certain  that  Smith  would  win,  I  bought  a 
neat  little  present  for  Mrs.  Smith,  which  I  intended  to 
give  her  at  the  close  of  the  performance,  thinking  that  it 
would  please  her  to  have  her  husband  declared  "  Cham- 
pion of  the  Hills,"  and  to  receive  personally  a  remem- 
brance. 

Just  before  evening  of  the  night  which  was  to  ter- 
minate the  performance,  and  while  the  contestants  were 
hard  at  it  and  the  crowd  was  crying  its  favorites,  I  was 
sent  for  to  meet  a  woman  outside  the  hall.  There  I 
found  Mrs.  Smith  and  she  was  looking  daggers  and 
flashing  lightning  from  both  eyes. 

"  Say,  hasn't  that  fool  of  a  husband  of  mine  got 
through  with  this  racing  nonsense  ? " 

"  Very  nearly,  Mrs.  Smith,  very  nearly,"  I  said  in  my 
most  conciliatory  voice,  for  I  knew  there  was  a  big 
blizzard  brewing,  "  and  I  want  you  to  be  here  this  even- 
ing to  see  your  husband  come  in  a  winner  and  the  recog- 
nized champion,  and  at  the  same  time  accept  from  me  a 
little  present  which  I  have  prepared  for  you  as  a 
memento  of  this  noteworthy  event." 

"  You  do,  eh  ?  Well,  I  won't  be  here.  I  don't  want 
none  of  your  presents  nor  none  of  your  soft  talk  ;  but 
what  I  do  want,  and  what  I'm  going  to  have,  is  for  that 
lazy  good-for-nothing  to  come  right  straight  home  and 
chop  me  some  wood." 

I  knew  that  Smith  had  plenty  of  time  to  go  and  chop 
the  wood,  and  that  the  fresh  air  would  do  him  good,  so 
I  got  him  out  of  the  hall,  turned  him  over  to  his  wife, 
and  she  took  him  home.  Promptly  within  an  hour 
Smith  returned,  as  he  said  he  would,  completed  and  won 
his  race,  and  made  me  richer  by  several  thousand  dol- 
lars, besides  earning  more  money  for  himself  than  he 
had  ever  before  possessed. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    GOLDEN    SUMMIT. 

That  springf  I  started  a  ranch  on  the  Belle  Fotiche, 
and  I  spent  a  lot  of  money  trying  to  become  that  most 
independent  of  all  human  beings,  the  farmer.  The  fact 
that  I  never  had  had  the  least bitof  experience  in  that  line 
is  probably  why  the  venture  attracted  me.  At  any  rate, 
I  started  in  right  royally  to  become  one  of  the  sover- 
eigns of  the  land  ;  but  the  hail  cut  my  oats  and  barley 
to  the  ground,  my  potatoes  were  frozen  in  their  hills, 
the  mink,  weasels  and  foxes  ate  my  poultry,  and  a  fa- 
vorite colt  got  into  a  ditch  one  day  and  was  drowned. 
When  "  Poor  Richard  "  said  that  "  He  who  by  the  plow 
would  thrive,  must  either  hold  himself  or  drive,"  he 
proved  that  he  understood  the  exact  situation  much 
better  than  did  Horace  Greeley,  whose  never-tiring  ad- 
vice to  young  men  to  become  agriculturists  spoiled 
many  a  man's  life  opportunities  in  the  West. 

My  next  move  was  to  become  interested  in  a  coal 
mine,  the  first  one  opened  in  the  Hills,  It  was  located 
on  the  Redwater,  about  thirty  miles  from  Deadwood. 
It  was  a  fine  property,  paid  well,  and  now  belongs  to 
the  Northwestern  Railway  Company. 

I  had  considerable  ready  cash  on  hand,  and  I  was 
wondering  what  sort  of  an  opportunity  would  present  it- 
self to  take  it  from  me,  when  John  Herman,  P.  D. 
O'Brien  and  myself  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
quickest  way  to  a  big  fortune  in  that  country  was  by  the 
construction  of  a  ditch  and  the  bringing  in  of  water  to 
work  the  placer  mines  in  the  Nigger  Hill  and  Bear 
Gulch  Districts.  We  had  a  survey  made,  and  found 
that  a  ditch  sixty  miles  in  length  would  be  required.  It 
was  a  big  undertaking,  but  we  started  the  work,  confi- 
dent of  success  and  future  vast  rewards  from  our  sale  of 
water  to  the  placer  miners.  All  worked  well  until  we 
had  about  fifty  miles  of  ditch  completed,  when  one  day 
there  came  a  cloudburst,  which  ripped  our  work  pretty 
nearly  from  one  end  to  the  other.  We  quit  that  enter- 
prise just  about  as  quickly  as  the  cloudburst  did,  and  I 


4S  Jint   Wardner. 

had  found  out  one  of  the  things  which  were  to  throw 
me  down  again,  as  I  had  confidently  and  superstitiously 
expected. 

The  very  next  day  after  the  cloudburst  I  chanced  to 
meet  a  man  named  Rosenbaum,  who  had  been  a  fore- 
man for  us,  and  he  told  me  that  in  the  spring  of  '76 
when  he  came  into  the  Hills  by  way  of  Harney's  Peak 
he  had  one  day  found  some  gold  quartz  float  of  such 
marvelous  richness  that  he  had  not  dared  to  show  it 
to  his  companions,  and  that  he  had  been  waiting  for 
an  opportunity  to  go  back  to  the  locality  with  some 
reliable  person  who  had  means  enough  to  grubstake  the 
outfit  and  make  a  thorough  search  for  what  he  believed 
to  be  a  great  quartz  discovery.  He  said  he  was  sure  he 
could  return  to  the  place  where  he  found  the  rich  float. 
I  wanted  to  get  away  from  the  ditch  as  far  as  possible, 
so  I  at  once  procured  two  outfits  and  Rosenbaum  and 
I  started  on  our  trip.  Arriving  at  a  place  which  Rosen- 
baum declared  to  be  "  about  the  spot,"  we  established 
a  camp.  The  place  was  about  seventy  miles  from 
Deadwood  and  near  the  foot  of  Harney's  Peak.  There 
was  a  hog-back  foothill  extending  up  toward  the  moun- 
tain, and  Rosenbaum  declared  that  the  float  he  saw  was 
upon  the  slope  of  the  hill.  We  started  in  to  prospect, 
Rosenbaum  going  to  the  further  side  of  the  hill  and  I 
keeping  along  the  side  nearest  to  our  camp.  I  had  gone 
but  a  few  hundred  feet  up  the  incline  when  I  came  upon 
pieces  of  float  that  fairly  dazzled  me.  The  quartz  was 
simply  thick  with  gold.  A  little  further  I  came  upon 
bushels  of  the  richest  float  I  had  ever  seen,  and  far  bet- 
ter than  I  have  ever  seen  since.  I  became  greatly  ex- 
cited. I  actually  piled  the  quartz  into  little  mounds  and 
then  kept  on.  Suddenly  my  eyes  rested  on  a  chunk  of 
quartz  half  as  large  as  my  head  and  nuggets  of  gold 
were  standing  out  of  it  on  every  side.  I  made  a  grab 
for  it  as  a  miser  clutches  his  gold  in  the  realistic  drama. 
It  was  heavy.  I  trembled  with  exultation.  I  shouted, 
**  Rosenbaum  !  "  He  was  a  mile  away  and  did  not  hear 
me.  Then  I  sat  down,  looked  the  specimen  over  care- 
fully, saw  that  it  was  not  much  worn,  and,  of  course,  knew 
that  I  was  near  the  lead  from  which  it  had  come.  I 
could  imagine  the  croppings  to  be  almost  solid  gold, 
and  then  I  shook   with  fear  lest  we  should  be  unable 


The  Golden   Summit.  49 

to  realize  all  the  millions  we  wanted  before  the  value  of 
gold  would  be  cheapened  by  our  great  discovery.  Heavy 
as  the  specimen  was  I  packed  it  with  me  as  I  started  again 
up  the  slope  of  the  foothill.  Pretty  soon  I  could  find  no 
trace  of  mineralization  and  I  knew  that  I  was  above  the 
lead.  Then  I  began  to  descend,  searching  every  inch 
of  ground,  but  found  no  croppings.  Then  I  came  upon 
the  float  again  and  I  knew  for  a  certainty  about  where 
we  would  have  to  dig  to  strike  the  vein.  Then  I  tore  my 
handkerchief  into  pieces,  and  tying  the  bits  to  sticks  I 
marked  the  place  so  that  I  could  not  fail  to  find  it 
again. 

Returning  to  camp  I  found  Rosenbaum  had  preceded 
me  and  that  he  had  failed  to  find  any  float  upon  the  side 
of  the  hill  where  he  had  prospected.  When  he  saw  my 
find  (we  afterward  sold  the  piece  for  $600)  he  was  ab- 
solutely wild.  We  both  hurried  back  and  made  a  care- 
ful study  of  the  ground  where  the  float  began,  concluded 
the  vein  must  run  at  a  certain  angle  and  dip,  and  then 
proceeded  to  stake  out  our  location.  That  night  the 
two  most  excited  and  expectant  miners  in  the  world 
were  camped  in  the  shadow  of  Harney's  Peak. 

Before  daylight  the  next  morning  we  had  cooked  our 
breakfast,  eaten  it,  and  were  on  the  way  to  discover  the 
lead.  Within  a  very  few  hours  of  hard  but  exciting 
work  we  had  cross-cut  the  surface  far  enough  to  come 
upon  the  vein.  It  was  very  narrow,  but  the  ore  was  of 
very  high  grade.  We  sank  upon  the  vein  a  few  feet, 
found  that  it  widened  out,  but  that  the  quartz  was 
clearly  of  even  grade.  Then  we  were  at  least  safe 
against  the  danger  of  depreciating  gold  values. 

We  packed  up,  carried  more  than  a  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  gold  specimens  with  us,  reached  Deadwood 
and  made  preparations  for  putting  up  a  5 -stamp  mill 
as  quickly  as  possible.  We  had  named  our  mine  the 
Golden  Summit.  We  got  the  mill  to  running  and  from 
the  surface  dirt  alone  we  cleared  up  over  $8,000.  Then 
we  were  offered  $10,000  for  the  property  and  we  sold  it. 

The  Golden  Summit  is  still  working,  sometimes  pay- 
ing well  and  always,  I  think,  yielding  some  profit  on 
the  work.  That  district  has  become  famous  because  of 
the  location  thereon  of  one  of  the  most  sensational 
mines  of  history,  the  Holy  Terror. 


CHAPTER   X. 

BUTTERINE. 

I  had  now  lived  in  the  Hills  five  years,  had  quite  a 
snug  sum  in  cash,  and  again  the  feeling  possessed  me 
that  for  my  family's  sake  I  would  return  to  civilization. 
We  left  Deadwood  to  return  to  Milwaukee  in  1882. 
After  locating  my  family  comfortably  in  Milwaukee  I 
began  looking  around  for  some  permanent  and  profita- 
ble business.  One  day  I  met  a  man  who  told  me  that  a 
friend  of  his  in  Chicago  had  established  a  factory  for 
the  making  of  butterine,  a  new  product,  which  was 
really  superior  in  many  ways  to  dairy  or  creamery  but- 
ter, and  that  there  was  really  a  fortune  in  it.  I  secured 
the  name  and  address  of  the  manufacturer,  Mr.  J.  H.  M., 
and  went  to  Chicago.  I  met  Mr.  M.,  saw  samples  of  his 
product  and  was  at  once  impressed  with  its  possible 
future.  After  some  talk,  Mr.  M.  told  me  that  if  I  would 
furnish  satisfactory  references  he  would  send  me  South 
to  work  up  the  business  in  that  section  of  the  country. 
I  gave  him  the  name  of  H.  Bosworth  &  Sons,  Milwau- 
kee, as  a  reference.  I  then  bade  Mr.  M.  good  day,  telling 
him  that  if  he  found  my  reference  all  right  to  wire  me 
at  Milwaukee  and  I  would  report  for  duty  at  once. 

I  went  back  home,  and  the  next  morning  I  was  in 
Mr.  Hopkins'  (of  H.  B.  &  Sons)  office  upon  his  arrival 
downtown.  In  looking  over  his  mail  he  found  a  letter 
from  Mr.  M.  asking  particulars  as  to  one  James  F. 
Wardner. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  making  inquiries  about  you,  Jim," 
said  Mr.  Hopkins,  handing  me  the  letter. 

"  If  you  are  in  a  hurry,  Mr.  Hopkins,"  I  said,  "per- 
haps I  might  write  the  reply  and  you  sign  it  and  send 
it  on." 

Mr.  Hopkins  said,  "All  right,"  and  so  I  prepared 
about  the  sort  of  letter  I  thought  Mr.  Hopkins  ought  to 
write,  and  handed  it  to  him  for  inspection.     Upon  read- 


Butterine. 


51 


ingf  it  Mr.  Hopkins  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  said  : 
"  Say,  Jim,  don't  you  think  this  is  pretty  strong  ?  Well, 
well,  I  had  no  idea  what  a  valuable  man  you  were  until 
I  read  this  letter.  I  don't  know  (hesitating  a  moment) 
how  the  town  can  afford  to  lose  your  services  to  Chicago 
after  all  this  explanation  of  your  wonderful  qualities. 
My  Lord,  Jim,  you  are  so  much  better  than  I  thought 
you  were."  But  he  signed  the  letter,  it  was  mailed,  and 
the  next  day  I  called  upon  Mr.  M. 

"  Mr.  Wardner,  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  in  which  you  are  held  by  your  for- 
mer employer,  Mr.  Hopkins,"  said  Mr.  M.  "  I  have 
received  the  best  and  strongest  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion from  him  as  to  your  character  and  ability  that  I 
have  ever  seen  in  that  line.  I  congratulate  you  and  am 
ready  to  engage  your  services." 

I  started  on  my  trip  and  met  with  great  success  in  St. 
Louis,  Nashville,  Mobile,  and,  in  fact,  all  through  the 
South,  and  then  went  to  New  Orleans  to  establish  there 
a  permanent  agency. 

But  fortune  was  not  yet  ready  to  smile  on  me.  A 
carload  of  butterine  was  stacked  up  on  the  sunny  side 
of  a  New  Orleans  freight  depot,  and  Sol  had  done  his 
work.  I  took  the  stuff  to  a  cold  storage  warehouse  but 
the  effect  was  bad,  for  a  butter-trier  revealed  the  fact 
that  the  laws  of  specific  gravity  had  relegated  each  par- 
ticular element  of  that  bum  butter  to  its  proper  place, 
and  exhibited  the  cotton  seed  oil,  the  lard,  the  vaseline, 
the  coloring  and  the  unnamable  refuse,  each  in  a  stratum 
by  itself. 

This  was  discouraging,  and  I  sold  the  stuff  for  grease 
and  took  a  stroll  through  the  cemetery,  almost  envying 
the  silent  ones  who  had  left  a  curious  world,  where 
hopes  end  in  disappointments  and  butterine  in  grease. 

I  was  stopping  at  the  Perry  House.  I  picked  up  a 
daily  paper,  and  the  first  item  that  caught  my  eye  was  a 
report  of  the  gold  discoveries  that  Pritchard  and  his 
party  had  made  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  country  in  Idaho. 
That  dispatch  was  the  magnetic  needle  which  pointed 
out  to  me  the  way  to  a  quick  fortune  and  marvelous 
experiences. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    CCEUR    d'aLENE. 

Now  begins  the  most  important  epoch  of  my  eventful 
career  up  to  this  prosperous  year  of  our  Lord,  1899. 
Now  for  the  first  time  will  be  told  the  complete  and 
consecutive  history  of  the  development  of  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  mines.  Chief  among  the  interesting  facts  will 
be  those  concerning  the  great  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan 
mines,  now  controlled  by  D.  O.  Mills,  of  New  York 
City. 

It  was  early  in  1883  that  the  news  of  Pritchard's  dis- 
coveries set  the  whole  country  wild.  Leaving  New  Or- 
leans by  the  first  train  I  could  get,  I  arrived  in  Chicago 
and  told  Mr.  M.  that  I  was  bound  for  Idaho.  From  him 
I  obtained  two  hundred  packages  of  butterine,  had 
them  billed  to  Thompson's  Falls,  via  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific railway,  and  stopping  in  Milwaukee  only  long 
enough  to  bid  my  family  good-bye,  I  took  train  for  the 
West.  Murray  and  Eagle  were  the  two  new  camps 
located  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  and  were  the  objective 
points  of  the  throng  of  wild-eyed  stampeders  who  were 
fairly  rushing  over  each  other  in  the  scramble  to  reach 
the  new  diggings.  It  is  thirty-five  miles  from  Thomp- 
son's Falls  to  Murray,  and  one  of  the  worst  trails  ever 
traveled.  The  distance  was  a  steady  up-grade  for 
twenty  miles  and  then  down-hill  constantly  for  fifteen 
miles.  My  butterine  came  all  right  and  then  arose  the 
question  of  getting  it  to  Murray.  The  snows  were  deep 
and  pack  animals  could  not  be  had.  I  had  a  toboggan 
made  and  then  for  more  than  two  months  I  hit  that 
awful  trail  daily,  hauling  by  hand  as  much  butterine  as 
I  could  draw  each  trip.  I  got  almost  fabulous  prices 
for  the  stuff  and  I  was  content  to  let  others  do  the  pros- 
pecting while  I  was  already  working  a  regular  "  pro- 
ducer." In  making  these  trips  I  became  very  tough 
and  strong,  and  was  soon  able  to  compete  as  a  draft 


The  Cceur  D  'Alene.  53 

animal  against  any  mule  on  the  trail.  I  was  compelled 
to  wear  rubber  boots  and  I  discovered  after  awhile  that 
their  weight  and  warmth  stopped  the  blood  circulation 
in  my  feet,  and  that  my  toe  nails  were  beginning  to  get 
loose.  There  was  no  pain  or  soreness  attendant  and  so 
I  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  the  matter.  The  nails 
became  more  and  more  loose,  and  finally  one  night 
after  I  had  had  an  unusually  hard  trip  I  found  on  tak- 
ing off  my  boots  and  heavy  woolen  stockings  that  all 
the  toe  nails  were  either  off  or  nearly  ready  to  come 
off  at  the  slightest  touch.  I  was  greatly  astonished  and 
yet,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  was  not  much  incon- 
venienced. 

After  awhile  I  made  up  my  mind  that  there  would  be 
more  money  in  regular  freighting  than  in  anything  in 
the  mining  line,  for  standard  rates  were  twenty-five 
cents  per  pound  from  Thompson's  Falls  to  Murray.  I 
picked  up  a  cracking  good  dog  team  and  began  to  make 
money  rapidly.  Soon  I  had  forty  mules  on  the  trail  and 
was  doing  a  tremendously  profitable  business.  The 
next  thing  was  to  get  a  general  supply  store  established, 
and  I  was  running  smoothly  in  the  groove  of  success. 
Money  rolled  up  and  I  became  recognized  as  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  the  camp. 

With  a  few  associates  we  organized  the  Potoxsi 
Ditch  Company,  and  built  a  ditch  twenty  miles  long  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  to  carry  the  waters 
of  Beaver  Creek  to  the  rich  diggings  of  Trail  Gulch. 
That  ditch  is  still  a  factor  in  that  country  and  serves  its 
purpose  well.  Opportunity  offered  and  we  sold  the 
ditch  at  a  good  profit.  Every  indication,  every  relied- 
upon  superstition,  and  every  move  I  made,  seemed  to 
favor  my  headlong  rush  toward  the  goal  of  wealth.  I 
actually  got  tired  of  making  money  and  once  again  con- 
cluded that  I  would  take  a  well-earned  rest. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    BUNKER    HILL    AND    SULLIVAN. 

And  How  it  Happened  that  Kellogg's  Jack  Came  to  be  Called 
"the  $4,000,000  Donkey." 

"  From  the  evidence  of  the  witnesses,  this  Court  is  of 
the  opinion  that  the  Bunker  Hill  mine  was  discovered 
by  the  jackass,  Phil  O'Rourke,  and  N.  S.  Kellogg- ;  and 
as  the  jackass  is  the  property  of  the  plaintiffs,  Cooper  & 
Peck,  they  are  entitled  to  a  half  interest  in  the  Bunker 
Hill  and  a  quarter  interest  in  the  Sullivan  claims." 

Thus  spoke  Judge  Norman  Buck,  of  the  District  Court 
of  Idaho,  in  his  decision  of  the  celebrated  case  involving 
the  ownership  of  two  claims  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  dis- 
trict of  Northern  Idaho,  now  valued  at  $4,000,000  and 
giving  direct  employment  to  more  than  400  miners. 

It  was  in  1 885.  For  many  years  I  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  promising  my  wife,  whenever  I  was  "  broke,"  that  if  I 
ever  made  another  competency  I  would  quit  mining  and 
speculating  and  would  settle  down  to  home  life  and  eco- 
nomical habits.  This  time  I  was  sure  that  my  pledge 
would  be  kept,  for  I  had  closed  out  all  my  varied  interests 
at  good  round  sums,  had  written  my  family  when  to  ex- 
pect my  return  home,  had  bidden  most  of  my  friends 
good-bye  and  good  luck,  had  my  favorite  cayuse  saddled, 
and  was  ready  to  hit  the  trail  from  Murray  to  Spokane, 
whence  I  would  take  the  cars  to  "the  States."  I  rode 
down  the  main  street  in  Murray  until  I  reached  Bill 
Guse's  place,  where  I  knew  that  I  would  meet  a  number 
of  the  boys  who  were  special  friends.  I  dismounted, 
went  into  the  saloon,  and  was  quickly  enacting  the  usual 
scene  of  leave-taking  as  it  goes  among  miners.  We 
kept  two  bartenders  busy  for  an  hour  or  more,  and  by 
that  time  I  had  taken  my  last  drink — so  I  declared — and 
said  my  last  "God  bless  you,  old  man! "  in  the  town  of 
Murray. 


The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  55 

I  was  a  little  unsteady  as  I  left  the  saloon,  and  I  leaned 
against  a  lamp-post  to  brace  up  a  bit  before  I  attempted 
to  mount  Bronco  Baldy,  the  best  all-round  trail-hitter 
I  had  ever  owned,  and  whom  I  intended  to  present  to 
"  Uncle  John "  Davenport,  who  greatly  admired  the 
beast,  when  I  reached  Spokane.  While  leaning  against 
the  post  I  realized  that  a  cold,  drizzling  rain  had  set  in, 
and  that  it  was  getting  late  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  I 
could  make  the  eighty  miles  to  Spokane  by  daybreak 
the  next  morning,  and  so  I  started  toward  Baldy  just  as 
a  man  on  horseback  came  at  full  speed  up  the  street, 
dashed  in  breakneck  fashion  to  where  I  stood,  threw 
himself  from  his  horse,  and  said  excitedly: 

"  Now,  Jim,  I  can  pay  you  for  those  rubber  boots  and 
for  all  the  good  turns  you  have  done  me !  " 

The  man  was  John  Flaherty,  a  first-class  miner  and 
good  fellow,  who,  like  myself,  had  made  and  lost  fortunes 
in  Utah,  the  Black  Hills  and  other  districts.  He  was 
literally  covered  with  mud,  and  his  blown  and  foam- 
flecked  horse  showed  that  he  had  made  a  hard  run. 
Flaherty  was  a  quiet  fellow,  thoroughly  reliable,  knew 
indications  when  he  saw  them,  and  was  not  an  enthu- 
siast. Now,  however,  he  was  awfully  wrought  up,  as  he 
continued  : 

"  Say,  Jim,  I  have  seen  a  mine  what  is  a  mine.  I  have 
located  both  extensions,  and  I  want  you  to  go  to  work 
and  git  there  as  quick  as  you  can.  Come  into  Guse's 
and  we'll  talk  it  over." 

Flaherty  had  the  nerve  of  an  Irishman  and  a  reputa- 
tion for  cool-headedness  under  any  circumstances  ;  but 
he  trembled  now,  and  I  saw  that  his  eyes  blazed  and 
that  his  face,  where  the  mud  spots  did  not  hide  it,  was 
burning.  I  was  sobered  instantly,  for  I  knew  that 
something  of  extraordinary  importance  had  occurred  to 
so  excite  Jack  Flaherty.  From  that  moment  I  forgot 
my  contemplated  journey  home  as  completely  as  though 
I  had  never  prepared  for  it. 

We  went  into  the  saloon,  retired  to  a  little  stall  in  the 
rear,  and  over  a  full  bottle  of  what  Guse  w^as  pleased 
to  term  "  Walker's  Rye,"  Flaherty  described  what  he 
had  seen.  I  quickly  made  a  deal  with  him,  ordered  two 
quart-bottles  of  whiskey  put  into  my  blankets  on  Baldy, 
and  received  these  directions  :  "  Take  the  Jackass  trail 


56  Jim   Wardner. 

to  Jackass  Prairie  and  then  turn  to  the  left  on  to  the  old 
Mullan  road.  After  you  have  hit  the  road  for  about 
six  miles  you  will  see  some  big  blazes  upon  the  trees  to 
the  right  of  the  road.  Hitch  your  horse  there,  because 
the  down  timber  will  stop  him,  and  then  go  up  the 
creek  until  you  strike  the  camp.  It's  about  two 
miles." 

Then  we  left  the  saloon  and  I  was  ready  to  start.  By 
this  time  it  was  nearly  dark,  and  the  rain  had  changed 
to  driving  sleet  and  snow.  Flaherty's  story  had  excited 
me  and  I  started  down  the  road  determined  to  reach 
the  new  "  find  "  by  daylight.  The  storm  increased  and 
became  a  violent  blizzard  by  the  time  I  reached  Jackass 
Prairie  ;  but  Baldy  was  good  for  his  part  of  the  trick, 
and  at  sunrise  the  storm  ceased,  and  I  had  reached  the 
place  to  leave  my  horse  by  the  big  trees.  With  the  two 
bottles  of  whiskey  in  my  coat  pockets  I  started  up  the 
creek.  The  sun  came  up  warm,  the  mountain  air  was 
that  of  spring,  and  my  search  for  the  camp  was  eager. 
My  home  trip  did  not  even  occur  to  me.  In  a  turn  in 
the  canon,  and  just  about  two  miles  from  the  place  I 
left  Baldy — as  Flaherty  had  said — I  came  upon  a  new- 
made  camp.  The  boys  were  getting  breakfast.  My 
appearance  was,  of  course,  unexpected.  As  1  stepped 
suddenly  into  view  out  of  the  trail,  each  of  the  three 
men — I  knew  them  all  intimately — uttered  his  own  pe- 
culiar exclamation  of  surprise.  "  Jim  Wardner,"  mixed 
with  all  sorts  of  d's,  dashes,  and  h's  and  I's,  greeted  me. 
I  lost  no  time  in  producing  one  of  my  bottles  of  whiskey. 
It  may  have  been  mighty  poor  liquor,  but  its  effect  was 
good,  and  I  was  at  once  a  welcome  guest  instead  of  an 
unwelcome  intruder. 

There  were  four  personalities  in  that  camp.  In  the 
order  of  their  importance  in  the  history  of  the  discovery 
of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  world's  mines  of  its  class, 
they  may  be  named  : 

Kellogg's  Jack — A  diminutive  but  thoroughbred 
specimen  of  the  Spanish  jackass.  He  was  mouse-col- 
ored, his  head  was  nearly  as  large  as  his  body,  his  ears, 
when  he  laid  them  back  in  obstinacy,  reached  his  with- 
ers, and  he  was  noted  all  through  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
mountains  as  the  best  pack  animal,  although  the  most 
cunning  and  tricky  brute  that  was  ever  cinched. 


The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  57 

Mr.  Kellogg — A  quiet,  intelligent  man,  one  of  the 
best  prospectors  in  the  mountains,  one  of  the  few  men 
who  stood  you  off  from  the  familiarity  of  a  nickname, 
and  probably  the  only  man  in  Idaho  who  was  honored 
by  the  prefixed  title  of  "  Mr."  I  knew  him  long,  inti- 
mately, and  favorably,  yet  I  never  addressed  him  by  his 
given  name  nor  as  "  Kellogg,"  but  invariably  as  "  Mr." 
Kellogg. 

Con  Sullivan — The  typical  young  Irishman.  He 
was  of  the  sort  that  have  made  the  United  States  among 
the  largest  mineral  producers  of  the  countries  of  the 
world.  Hopeful,  enthusiastic  and  determined,  it  is 
Irish  blood  that  makes  the  true  and  successful  pros- 
pector. Tommy  Cruse  and  Marcus  Daly  are  merely 
representative  examples  of  the  best  successes  in  every 
mining  district. 

Phil  O'Rourke — A  fitting  companion  and  "pardner" 
of  Con  Sullivan  ;  hardy,  industrious  and  faithful.  He 
had  long  been  a  prospector  and  was  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  conditions  that  are  necessary  to  make  even  a 
"bonanza  "  profitable. 

Such  was  the  outfit  that  Peck  &  Cooper  grubstaked, 
that  discovered  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan,  and  began 
the  development  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene. 

To  Kellogg's  Jack's  trick  of  losing  himself  when  most 
needed,  however,  and  to  his  alleged  sagacity  in  know- 
ing a  pay  chute  when  he  saw  it,  is  due  the  discovery 
of  the  great  mine  ;  and  in  "  Dutch  Jake's  "  famous  resort 
in  Spokane — where  keno  is  run  by  electricity — there  is 
a  lifelike  oil  painting  of  the  Jackass  standing  upon  the 
apex  of  the  Bunker  Hill  and  gazing  abstractedly  across 
the  canon  to  the  glimmering  outcroppings  of  the  Sulli- 
van.    One  of  the  old-time  concert-hall  jingles   had  a 

refrain : 

"  When  you  talk  about  the  Coeur  d'Alenes 
And  all  their  wealth  untold, 
Don't  fail  to  mention  '  Kellogg's  Jack,' 
Who  did  that  wealth  unfold  !  " 

At  about  the  second  passing  of  the  bottle  the  boys  at 
the  camp  were  mighty  glad  to  see  me  ;  we  soon  finished 
breakfast,  and  then  Con  Sullivan  said  : 

"  Well,  Jim,  we  don't  know  how  you  come  to  strike 
o;ir  trail,  but  we've  got  something  here  worth  a  long 
*  >i.     ??»  -i 


^\ 


t^ 


58  Jitn   Wardner. 

journey  to  see.  Look  up  there  !  "  And,  as  he  spoke, 
Sullivan  pointed  to  the  right-hand  slope  of  the  canon 
from  the  camp,  just  as  the  sun  had  risen  to  a  pomt 
where  its  morning  rays  fell  full  upon  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  What  seemed  to  be  a  vast  sheet  of  new  tin 
dazzled  the  eyes.  I  had  never  seen  such  a  sight  before 
— nor  since. 

"  Galena,"  I  said. 

"  That's  what,"  replied  O'Rourke. 

Then  we  all  started  up  the  trail,  and  I  soon  stood  upon 
the  outcroppings  of  the  greatest  blowout  of  argentifer- 
ous galena  ever  known.  The  vein  was  so  well  defined 
that  I  could  easily  determine  its  course  down  the  side  of 
the  canon  and  its  continuation  up  the  opposite  slope  to 
the  outcrop  on  the  Bunker  Hill.  I  was  amazed,  but  I 
made  no  comments. 

"  It  was  this  a- way,"  began  Mr.  Kellogg  ;  "  the  d d 

Jack  shook  us  one  night  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and 
the  next  morning  we  started  out  to  find  him.  His  tracks 
were  plain,  and  now  and  then  we  found  great  wads  of 
his  hair  where  he  had  climbed  over  the  down  timber  and 
scraped  his  sides  against  the  logs.  How  under  the 
heavens  the  little  devil  managed  to  get  through  that 
place  I  can't  tell  ;  but  after  we  got  into  the  canon 
proper  his  trail  was  easy.  Looking  across  the  creek  we 
saw  the  Jack  standing  upon  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  ap- 
parently gazing  intently  across  the  canon  at  some  object 
which  attracted  his  attention.  We  went  up  the  slope 
after  him,  expecting  that,  as  usual,  he  would  give  us  a 
hard  chase  ;  but  he  never  moved  as  we  approached. 
His  ears  were  set  forward,  his  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
some  object,  and  he  seemed  wholly  absorbed.  Reaching 
his  side,  we  were  astounded  to  find  the  Jackass  standing 
upon  a  great  outcropping  of  mineralized  vein-matter 
and  looking  in  apparent  amazement  at  the  marvelous 
ore  chute  across  the  canon,  which  then,  as  you  now  see 
it,  was  reflecting  the  sun's  rays  like  a  mirror.  Jack 
fairly  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  as  he  heard  our  vigorous 
comments.  We  lost  no  time  in  making  our  locations, 
and  where  the  Jack  stood  we  called  it  the  Bunker  Hill, 
and  the  big  chute  we  named  the  Sullivan,  in  honor  of 
Con." 

"  I  had  mined  in  Arizona,  California,  Nevada,  Utah, 


The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  59 

the  Black  Hills  and  Colorado  ;  I  was  at  Virginia  City 
when  the  Comstock  was  in  its  glory  ;  but  I  had  never 
seen  a  "  showing"  equal  to  the  exposure  in  the  Sullivan. 
There  seemed  to  be  almost  countless  tonnage  of  what 
looked  like  a  very  high  grade  galena  upon  the  very  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  My  thoughts  were  running  like 
mad — how  could  I  get  in  on  the  original  layout  ? 

"  Well,  boys,  how  many  locations  have  you  got  in 
all  ? "  I  asked,  after  expressing  my  pleasure  at  their 
great  luck. 

"  We've  located  3,000  feet,"  replied  Mr.  Kellogg,  "  as 
far  as  we  could  follow  the  lead." 

"  And  that  is  enough  to  '  represent '  and  to  make  us 
all  we  want,"  said  O'Rourke. 

"  So  you  have  simply  made  two  locations  on  the  vein, 
and  nothing  more,"  I  suggested. 

"That's  what,"  Sullivan  answered;  "but  you  bet 
we're  dead  sure  "we've  got  all  there  is  in  this  camp." 

The  boys  went  at  their  work,  and  I  said  that  I  guessed 
I  would  stroll  around  a  bit.  There  was  a  small  hand- 
axe  among  the  tools  lying  about,  and  I  told  Con  that  I 
would  take  it  with  me,  for  I  might  need  it  to  blaze  my 
trail.  Then  I  went  down  the  slope  to  the  creek.  It 
was  a  fine  mountain  stream  (Milo  Creek),  carrying  sev- 
eral hundred  inches  of  water.  I  got  out  of  sight  of  the 
boys,  and  then  as  quietly  as  possible  I  cut  away  the  bark 
from  a  big  fir  tree  on  the  creek  bank  and  gradually 
worked  a  smooth  surface  upon  the  wood.  Then  I  took 
out  from  my  pocket  an  old  stub  of  a  lead  pencil  and 
wrote  upon  the  tree  a  full  and  complete  location  of  all 
the  water  in  the  stream.  To  make  the  location  perfect, 
I  needed  a  witness,  and  therefore,  upon  the  completion 
of  the  declaration,  I  walked  out  from  the  shelter  of  the 
trees  and  shouted  to  the  boys  to  come  down  to  the  creek, 
as  I  had  something  to  show  them.  They  came  at  once, 
thinking  I  must  have  made  a  discovery — which  I  had — 
and  I  led  them  up  to  the  tree,  upon  which  my  location 
was  plainly  written  and  legally  worded. 

Each  of  the  three  men  was  thoroughgoing  and  prac- 
tical. Each  knew  that  the  best  mine  on  earth  might 
prove  worthless  without  the  aid  of  water.  Each  real- 
ized at  once  that  I  had  a  cinch  upon  all  future  possibil- 
ities.    Their  exclamations  were  varied,  but  emphatic. 


€o  Jim   Wardner. 

"  You  see,"  said  Sullivan,  "  in  our  bull-headed  hurry 
we  forgot  all  about  the  water.  Well,  Jim,  you've  got  the 
drop  on  us,  and  it's  all  right."  Then,  like  a  man,  he 
took  the  stub  of  pencil,  and  walked  up  and  put  his  name 
to  the  location  as  a  witness. 

"  We  don't  know  as  much  as  the  off  ear  of  that  Jack- 
ass !  "  was  Mr.  Kellogg's  comment,  as  he,  too,  signed 
the  notice. 

*'  Now,  boys,"  I  said,  "  here's  a  fresh  bottle  (hauling 
out  the  second  quart  from  my  pocket).  Let's  take  a 
drink  to  Jim  Wardner,  who,  you  will  find,  is  the  best 
partner  any  of  you  have  ever  had  ;  for  these  mines  and 
this  water  are  inseparable.  Lefs  go  down  to  the  camp 
and  talk  things  over." 

After  arriving  at  the  camp  I  proceeded  to  explain 
things  from  my  point  of  view : 

^'You  are  good  enough  miners,"  I  began,  "  to  know 
that  neither  the  burnt-out  cropping?  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  nor  even  the  very  wonderful  40-feet  wide  blowout 
of  galena  upon  the  Sullivan  is  positive  assurance  of 
great  wealth  to  the  outfit.  We  don't  know  anything 
yet  about  the  values  carried,  but  we  do  know  that  so 
large  a  mass  of  galena  would  not  be  apt  to  carry  any 
fabulous  silver  value.  We  are  one  hundred  miles  from 
a  railway  and  more  than  one  thousand  miles  to  a 
smelter.  The  stuff  has  got  to  run  like  a  scared  wolf  to 
be  worth  packing  out.  I  know  that  you  are  all  broke, 
and  that  you  need,  most  of  all,  a  little  ready  money  ; 
and  that  is  where  I  come  in  strong,  because  I  will  give 
you  $500  now,  and  I  have  got  more  than  $15,000  in 
Hussey's  bank  at  Murray,  which  I  am  ready  to  blow  in 
on  this  layout.  But  I  want  to  manage  things  in  my  own 
way.  My  plan  would  be  to  get  things  fixed  right  for 
work  as  soon  as  possible.  I  will  take  samples  and  go  to 
Spokane,  and  will  arrange,  if  the  ore  has  value  to  war- 
rant it,  for  immediate  mining,  building  of  roads,  ship- 
ping, etc.  In  the  meantime,  you  are  to  promise  me 
that  no  other  person  shall  have  any  option  or  opportu- 
nity upon  this  property  until  I  have  decided  what  can  be 
done  and  what  is  best  to  do  for  all  concerned." 

Pledges  over  the  last  of  the  whiskey  were  made, 
and  then  we  went  up  to  the  Sullivan  to  get  samples. 
We  had  no  bags,  and  so  Con  Sullivan  took  his  overalls 


TIic  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  6i 

and  quickly  converted  them  into  first-rate  saddle-bags. 
We  put  about  twenty  pounds  of  ore  in  each  leg-,  and 
then  the  boys  accompanied  me  down  to  where  Baldy 
was  impatiently  awaiting  my  arrival.  I  turned  the  cayuse 
loose  to  graze  for  an  hour,  the  boys  returned  to  camp, 
and  then  I  proceeded  to  post  a  notice  locating  10,000 
inches  of  water  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  River.  I  may 
mention  here  that  I  subsequently  disposed  of  the  two 
water  rights  that  I  located  that  day  for  $50,000.  I 
struck  out  for  Spokane  that  night  and  reached  there  the 
following  afternoon.  Assays  showed  high  silver  value, 
and  I  started  as  quickly  as  possible  for  San  Francisco  to 
consult  Selby  &  Co.  That  concern  immediately  agreed 
to  take  all  the  ore  of  the  class  represented  by  the 
sample  that  could  be  furnished,  and  at  a  price  which 
would  leave  a  very  large  margin  of  profit.  Back  I  hur- 
ried to  Spokane,  thence  to  the  mine.  The  boys  had 
built  a  comfortable  camp,  but  had  not  worked  to  any 
extent  upon  the  ore  chute.  I  at  once  contracted  wdth 
them  to  take  out  25,000  tons  of  ore  and  to  advance  to 
them  $5  upon  each  ton  extracted,  they  to  take  out  not 
less  than  twenty  tons  daily.  Then  I  began  road  build- 
ing and  planning  for  shipping  the  ore  to  the  railway.  I 
was  expending  more  than  $500  per  day. 

The  men  began  work  in  earnest  upon  the  ore-body. 
It  did  not  require  many  days'  work,  however,  at  twenty 
tons  per  day,  to  make  us  all  sick,  for  every  stroke  of  the 
pick  and  every  blast  demonstrated  more  and  more  that 
the  marvelous  surface  showing  was  nothing  but  a  big 
blowout.  We  took  out  every  pound  of  that  ore,  and,  all 
told,  it  was  less  than  eight  hundred  tons.  When  we 
found  the  bunch  exhausted,  I  may  say  that  the  general 
disappointment  was  even  more  intense  than  the  exalta- 
tion had  been  when  the  Sullivan  was  discovered. 

"We  might  have  known  better  than  to  have  faith 

in   anything    that    d d    Jackass    led    us    to,"    was 

O'Rourke's  only  comment. 

When  the  ore  was  exhausted  we  found  that  the  vein 
itself  was  an  enormous  contact,  and  that  seams  and 
stringers  of  galena  were  going  down.  I  proposed  that 
work  should  continue.  The  ore  which  had  been  taken 
out  yielded  me  about  $115  per  ton,  and  I  was  deter- 
mined to  spend  m.y  last  dollar  in  the  endeavor  to  fmd 


62  Jim   Wardner. 

the  permanent  ore  chute  which  I  felt  sure  would  be 
found.  With  me  it  was  simply  a  question  of  time  and 
money.  So  the  work  went  on.  My  money  melted 
away  ;  I  was  overdrawn  in  all  my  bank  accounts ;  I 
owed  the  men  about  $3,000 — and  the  face  in  the  main 
tunnel  looked  absolutely  barren.  I  became  worn  and 
thin,  and  the  skin  upon  my  hands  and  face  was  so  drawn 
that  it  seemed  transparent.  One  afternoon  I  walked  a 
little  way  up  the  canon,  seated  myself  upon  a  boulder, 
and  began  to  wonder  if  I  was  really  sane.  I  clenched 
my  hands  in  anger  at  myself  for  broken  pledges  to  my 
faithful,  confiding  and  patient  wife.  I  noticed  that 
specks  of  blood  had  oozed  through  the  skin 
upon  my  hands  (they  were  so  tightly  clenched  and 
my  skin  was  so  drawn),  and  I  said  to  myself  :  "  So  you 
are  actually  sweating  blood  ;  but  that  is  no  atonement 
for  your  folly,  Jim."  Suddenly  I  felt  an  impulse  to  run 
down  the  cafion,  as  though  I  would  escape  from  the 
surroundings,  the  failure  and  the  debts  to  the  men.  I 
started  ;  I  came  to  the  tree  upon  which  was  the  notice 
of  my  first  water  right ;  I  laughed  aloud — I  do  not  know 
why.  Then  I  went  on  hurriedly,  and  it  came  to  me  that 
I  would  not  stop  until  I  reached  Spokane.  I  got  below 
the  camp,  and  was  increasing  my  speed,  when  I  came 
unexpectedly  upon  a  newly-pitched  tent,  near  which  was 
a  pleasant-voiced  man,  who  said  :  "  Stranger,  you  seem 
in  a  hurry.  Come  in  and  take  something  as  a  starter 
for  the  new  gin-mill." 

I  never  accepted  an  invitation  with  greater  alacrity  or 
thankfulness.  I  went  into  the  tent,  poured  a  whiskey 
glass  full  to  the  brim,  and  gulped  it  down  with  the 
remark  :  "  I  am  Jim  Wardner,  the  boss  of  this  outfit." 

That  was  enough  to  make  my  immediate  deliverer 
protest  that  I  must  "have  one  with  him."  And  I  took 
it — a  big  one.  Then  I  heard  a  shout,  "Wardner  !  "  It 
came  from  a  good  pair  of  lungs,  and  it  echoed  up  the 
canon.  I  stepped  outside  the  tent  and  saw  Brady,  my 
foreman,  coming  down  the  trail  at  full  speed.  He  saw 
me,  and  shouted:  "  Hurry  up,  Jim  ;  we've  struck  it  big 
in  the  main  tunnel.  The  breast  is  solid  ore  !  "  His  voice 
fairly  choked  with  excitement.  Instantly  I  was  as  cool 
and  deliberate  as  I  ever  was  in  my  life. 

"Oh,  don't  get  excited,  Brady.      Of  course   you've 


The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  63 

struck  it ;  what  have  we  been  driving-  that  tunnel  for? 
Come  down  and  get  a  drink,"  was  my  answer. 

Then  I  said  to  Tom  Erwin  (as  I  later  knew  my  deliv- 
erer to  be):  "  Here  !  give  us  all  a  good  one  ;  and,  Brady, 
take  another — you're  too  excited." 

I  walked  along  slowly  up  the  trail,  and  told  Brady  not 
to  rush  so — but  I  did  want  to  rest  my  eyes  upon  that 
tunnel  face !  Well,  I  found  that  the  boys  had  broken 
into  a  solid  chute  of  galena  for  the  full  size  of  the  drift. 
It  was  a  wonderful  sight.  After  going  in  on  it  a  little 
way  I  started  a  cross-cut,  and  the  chute  proved  to  be 
thirty-six  feet  wide.  Then  we  drove  the  drift  night  and 
day.  I  had  forty  men  at  work,  and  after  running  one 
hundred  feet  on  the  vein  we  cross-cut  again.  It  was 
still  thirty-six  feet  strong.  I  took  ton  samples  of  the  ore 
taken  from  the  drift,  and  soon  discovered  that,  while  the 
ore-body  was  marvelous  in  its  dimensions,  the  values 
were  cut  down  to  a  concentrating  proposition.  Having- 
become  certain  upon  that  point,  I  started  on  foot  for 
Spokane.  There  I  borrowed  $300  from  Walter  Bean, 
and  began  an  attempt  to  induce  capital  to  take  hold  of 
what  I  believed  to  be  one  of  the  most  desirable  invest- 
ments ever  offered.  No  one  in  Spokane  would  take  the 
trouble  to  even  visit  the  mine.  I  went  to  San  Francisco 
— and  failed.  Then  I  tried  Portland  in  vain.  I  knew 
that  an  active  young  fellow  named  Austin  (since  then 
inventor  of  the  pyritic  smelting  process)  was  running  a 
little  smelter  at  Toston,  Mont.,  for  an  EngHsh  syndicate, 
and  I  thought  perhaps  I  could  get  him  to  interest  his 
company  in  my  project.  So  I  went  to  Toston.  I  found 
Austin  to  be  an  expert  on  ores.  After  examining  my 
samples  and  making  tests,  he  declared  that,  if  my  state- 
ments as  to  the  mine  were  true,  I  had  the  biggest  concen- 
trating proposition  in  the  country.  "You  go  up  to 
Helena  and  see  Governor  Sam  Hauser,"  advised  Austin. 
To  Helena  I  went.  I  called  upon  Governor  Hauser  at 
the  First  National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  president. 
He  received  me  in  his  private  parlor.  I  showed  him  my 
samples  and  told  him  about  the  mine.  When  I  had 
finished  he  broke  out  in  the  only  and  original  Sam 
Hauser  style  : 

"  What  in are  you  telling  me,  young  man  ?  Look 

here,  I'm  from  Missouri,  where  they  raise  mules  and 


64  Jim   Wardner. 

liars,  and  I  am  a  good  judge  of  both,  and  I  will  say  right 
now  that  as  an  all-round  liar  you  can  beat  any  man  I 
ever  listened  to." 

But  that  was  only  Governor  Hauser's  way.  I  saw 
that  he  was  really  interested,  and  I  went  on  and  argued 
what  the  results  would  be  if  a  100-ton  concentrator  was 
put  up.  I  told  him  that  I  could  secure  a  contract  to 
concentrate  50,000  tons  at  $5  per  ton,  and  also  a  share  in 
the  net  profits.  The  final  result  was  that  Governor 
Hauser  gave  his  expert  $i  0,000,  ordered  him  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  Coeur  d'Alene,  and,  if  he  verified  my 
statements,  to  pay  off  the  men  and  secure  the  contracts. 
We  made  a  rush  trip  to  the  mines  and  back  to  Helena, 
the  expert  having  indorsed  my  every  statement,  and 
Governor  Hauser  ordered  the  machinery  for  a  100-ton 
concentrator. 

Then  things  came  my  way  with  a  rush.  The  work  in 
every  department  was  pushed,  and  the  mine  develop- 
ment was  showing  bigger  and  better  with  every  foot  of 
progress.  Capital  began  to  look  toward  the  Bunker  Hill 
and  Sullivan  and  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  A  lively  town  was 
started,  and  it  was  named  Wardner.  I  had  lots  of 
friends  and  was  again  a  favorite  of  fortune.  To  me  was 
given  the  credit  of  making  the  Coeur  d'Alene  country  a 
success — and  I  didn't  sweat  blood  any  more.  Soon 
nearly  everybody  in  the  mining  line  who  had  capital 
was  looking  for  investments  in  our  booming  district. 
The  opportunity  came  for  a  big  sale  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
and  Sullivan,  and  the  great  mine  passed  from  my  con- 
trol forever.  What  I  received  for  my  water  rights,  con- 
tracts, interest,  etc.,  amounted  to  a  reasonable  fortune. 
Governor  Hauser  was  also  to  the  good  a  hundred  thou- 
sand or  so — and  still  believes  in  his  ability  to  judge 
mules  and  liars. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  was  telling  the  story  of  my 
fortunes  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  country,  my  friend  Nor- 
throp said,  with  surprise  :  "  Can't  see  how  a  man  can 
make  and  then  lose  a  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

Here's  the  solution:  The  man  with  good  sound  judg- 
ment and  a  reasonable-sized  head,  once  in  possession  of 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars  does  not  lose  it.  He  it  is 
who  works  the  "  snowball  racket  "  on  his  pile. 

But  the  shoddy  man,  the  lucky  shoddy  man,  the  man 


The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan.  65 

who  never  before  had  a  hundred  dollars,  a  man  who 
begins  to  feel  poor  when  he  gets  the  first  $50,000,  a  man 
who  constantly  and  wilfully  and  determinedly  persists  in 
getting  over  his  head  in  the  confusing  waters  of  specu- 
lation, who  belittles  the  size  of  his  pile,  as  he  associates 
with  millionaires,  joins  in  their  schemes  and  buys  their 
stock  ;  the  shoddy  man,  who  looks  "  wise  as  a  forest 
of  owls,"  and  believing  he  is  great  because  he  has  been 
lucky;  he  who  gives  bad  advice  and  refuses  good  ;  he 
who  has  an  expense  account,  that,  like  the  impending  ava- 
lanche, will  snowslide  him  to  poverty  ;  he  it  is  who  loses 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Not  one  in  a  thousand  of 
these  fellows  ever  make  it  back.  Their  time  is  now 
occupied  in  thinking  of  their  pastgreatness,and  they  drift 
along  Time's  rapid  stream  until  they  whirl  into  the 
vortex  of  despair. 

Northrop  says,  "You  have  handled  the  subject  pretty 
fairly  and  it  is  one  you  should  know  all  about." 

The  history  of  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  is  an  ex- 
cellent illustration  of  the  difficulties  encountered  by 
those  who,  with  limited  capital,  attempt  to  make  a  mine. 
It  also  furnishes  reasons  for  believing  that  many  mines 
now  abandoned  would  become  profitable  if  reasonable 
development  work  were  done  upon  them. 

When  the  original  discoverers  finally  made  a  compe- 
tency out  of  the  sale  of  the  mine.  Con  Sullivan  said  to 
O'Rourke,  "  Say,  Phil,  Kellogg's  Jack  is  a  long-headed 
fellow,  isn't  he?" 

And  upon  his  death  the  Jackass  was  buried  with 
greater  honor  than  had  ever  before  been  accorded  to 
any  of  his  kind. 

The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  is  still  one  of  the  impor- 
tant productive  mines  in  the  Coeur  d' Alene  district.  The 
largest  stockholder  in  the  company  owning  it  is  Mr.  D.  O. 
Mills,  of  New  York  City.  It  is  believed  that  the  mine 
improves  with  development,  and  that  it  will  continue 
productive  for  many  years  to  come. 

I  will  state  that  during  the  life  of  the  contract  my  in- 
terest in  the  property  was  one  dollar  a  ton  on  each  ton 
of  ore  that  was  extracted  from  the  mine  and  one-third 
of  the  profits  of  the  mine  ;  I  received  also  $50,000  for 
both  water  rights.  After  the  sale  a  number  of  very 
curious  incidents  occurred. 


66  Jim   Wardncr. 

The  evening  after  the  sale,  desiring  to  purchase  a  lit- 
tle jewelry,  I  stepped  into  one  of  the  jewelry  stores  of 
Spokane.  Here  I  found  that  nearly  each  and  every  one 
of  the  men  had  been  that  day  a  purchaser  of  diamonds  ; 
in  fact,  they  wore  diamonds  in  great  shape;  not  only  did  ■ 
they  themselves  wear  diamonds,  but  they  evinced  a  most 
generous  spirit  toward  their  old  friends  in  Wardner 
and  Spokane.  My  daughters  had  to  thank  Mr.  Philip 
O'Rourke  for  his  first  checks,  Nos.  i,  2  and  3,  for  $1,000 
each,  and  Mr.  Kellogg,  not  to  be  outdone,  gave  the  boys 
the  same  amount. 

From  the  time  of  the  bonding  of  the  Bunker  Hill  and 
Sullivan  mine  until  the  owners  received  their  money, 
there  elapsed  only  about  eleven  days.  During  that  time 
I  had  visited  Helena,  Thompson  Falls,  Murray,  and 
Spokane.  Governor  Hauser  thought  that  the  selling  of 
the  property  at  that  time  would  be  an  absolute  impos- 
sibility, and  so  he  expressed  himself ;  but  everything 
was  in  my  favor  and  I  was  on  the  rail  of  fortune  and 
could  not  be  switched  off.  Thus  we  are  all  of  us  riding 
along  on  an  endless  chain  of  destiny,  working  in  a  groove 
forged  by  the  Almighty,  and  when  the  chain  is  severed 
by  the  drum  of  time,  down  we  go  to  the  dump  of 
eternity. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WARDNER,    IDAHO. 

The  story  of  the  periodical  fortunes  of  Jim  Wardner, 
of  Wardner,  Idaho,  would  hardly  be  complete  without 
a  chapter  on  the  town  of  Wardner  and  some  of  Jim 
Wardner's  experiences  in  connection  with  it.  This 
town  was  laid  out  by  a  gentleman  whom  we  will  call 
Judge  Kelly.  After  the  surveying  of  it  with  a  tape  line, 
the  numbers  of  the  lots  were  all  put  into  a  hat  and  he 
who  paid  $2.50  had  the  choice  of  a  lot.  It  was  generally 
understood  that  one  man  had  one  choice,  but  there  was 
no  limit  to  the  amount  of  proxies  he  could  hold.  My 
drawing  was  not  a  success  and  I  afterward  sold  my  lot 
for  $5,  it  being  really  farthest  from  the  post-office  on 
the  old  town  plot. 

Prosperity  now  set  in  in  good  earnest ;  other  discov- 
eries were  made,  other  mines  were  opened,  and  hun- 
dreds of  people  flocked  into  the  camp.  Among  them 
came  many  of  the  gambling  fraternity  and  that  class 
which  you  always  find  first  in  a  good  mining  camp.  As 
an  example,  the  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Ward- 
ner News  in  the  summer  of  '85  : 

GEORGE  B.   Mc SHOWS  THE  BOYS  HOW  TO 

PLAY  FARO. 

**  The  game  in  Josh  Collins'  place  opened  Friday  at 
one  o'clock  and  did  not  close  until  Monday.  During 
that  time  there  were  some  of  the  heaviest  plays  ever 

made  in  the  Northwest.     George  B.  Mc ,  the  banker 

and  Bonanza  Mine  owner,  indulged  in  a  little  diversion 
from  the  dull  routine  of  business  and  tried  his  hand  a.t 
faro.  He  sat  down  to  the  game  early  Friday  evening, 
played  all  night,  and  lost  several  thousand  dollars.  The 
next  day  he  complained  that  the  limit  was  too  low  for  a 
man  of  his  nerve  and  means.  The  limit  was  removed 
entirely,  and  George  piled  up  $1,000  and  $1,200  at  a 


68  Jun   Ward7ier. 

time  and  won  and  lost  it  as  nonchalantly  as  he  refuses 
Irishmen  work.  By  ten  o'clock  the  next  day  he  had  lost 
$16,000  ;  still  he  continiied  to  play  and  bet  from  $100  to 
$1,000  at  each  turn.  After  twelve  o'clock  on  Saturday 
his  luck  changed  and  he  accumulated  in  front  of  him 
most  of  the  checks  that  were  in  the  rack.  At  three 
o'clock  he  cashed  in  and  found  that  he  had  won  back  all 
but  $1,500  of  the  money  that  he  had  played  in.  He  sat 
nearly  twenty-four  hours  in  front  of  the  case-keeper 
and  played  faro.  Such  large  stakes  are  not  wagered 
here  every  day,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  more 
gambling*  for  bigger  stakes  at  Wardner  than  in  any 
town  of  its  size  in  the  Northwest." 

My  first  venture  in  the  town  of  Wardner,  Idaho,  was 
corraling  all  the  corner  lots.  My  assistant,  Mr.  Horace 
Davenport,  and  myself  soon  accomplished  this,  and  in 
four  weeks  from  the  time  we  unloaded  at  a  profit  of  about 
$10,000. 

I  next  founded  the  Bank  of  Wardner.  The  bank  con- 
sisted of  an  inconspicuous  shack,  a  portable  safe,  a 
chicken-coop  netting  for  the  protection  of  the  cashier,  a 
private  office  about  as  big  as  a  cheese-box,  and  my 
credit  in  Spokane,  where  I  kept  my  money  on  deposit. 
This  bank  was  not  highly  quoted  at  first,  as  I  purchased 
a  safe  on  a  year's  time,  paying  in  installments.  The 
bank,  however,  flourished.  I  was  the  president  and 
Mr.  Kellogg  was  vice-president.  George  Crane  and 
E.  C.  Gove  were  the  directors.  Horace  Davenport  was 
cashier.  This  was  his  first  experience  in  the  banking 
business.  It  was  not  difficult  to  make  loans,  especially 
to  the  officers  and  directors. 


*  Speaking  about  gambling,  my  friend  Johnny  Manning,  now  a  Klondike 
millionaire,  kept  the  Senate  saloon  in  Deadwood  in  '77  ^-nd  '78-  He  is,  like 
myself,  a  firm  believer  in  the  laws  of  general  average.  To  test  and  prove 
our  belief,  the  fate  of  a  deuce  was  tried  and  tallied  at  one  of  his  faro  tables 
for  one  thousand  consecutive  deals.  After  all  the  varieties  of  chance— some- 
times losing,  again  equalizing,  then  losing,  then  equalizing — at  the  end  of  the 
thousandth  deal  the  deuce  had  won  twenty  times  more  than  it  had  lost.  My 
friend  John  Mahan.  a  veteran  dealer,  tabbed  the  whole  record,  and  he  is  a 
firm  believer  that  this  curious  equalization  of  luck  would  last  to  the  end  of 
time. 

I  ask,  What  is  it  ?  What  is  the  law  of  general  average  that  controls 
chance  ?  What  is  this  general  law  of  nature  that  installs  itself  in  the  prop- 
agation of  all  animals,  birds  and  fishes?  That  imprints  itself  on  the  seasons? 
That  invests  itself  into  all  men's  lives,  and,  finally,  fixes  itself  on  all  games 
of  chance  ?  Call  it  luck  ;  call  it  chance  ;  call  it  fatality  ;  these  it  is.  It  is  a 
strong  product  in  our  fatalistic  career,  making  true  the  words  of  Robert 
IngersoU,  who  said  :  "  Nothing  has  ever  been  done  under  the  blue  dome  of 
Heaven  that  could  possibly  have  been  avoided." 


Wardner,  Idaho.  69 

One  day  Mr.  Davenport  came  to  me  and  said  that  he 
was  tired  of  running  the  bank  on  wind. 

I  said,  "  Horace,  how  much  money  have  you  got  in 
there  ? " 

He  said,  "About  $175  ;  and  a  party  will  soon  present 
a  check  for  $900  ;  in  fact,  he  has  already  been  to  the 
window  and  I  have  detained  him  until  your  arrival.  He 
has  been  quite  put  out  because  the  check  could  not  be 
cashed,  and  advised  me  if  I  could  not  pay  to  close  the 
doors." 

Horace  Davenport  again  handed  in  his  resignation. 
I  told  him  when  the  gentleman  returned  to  send  him  to 
the  president's  office.  I  awaited  his  arrival.  Presently 
the  gentleman  came  in  and  presented  his  check  for 
$900.     "I  won't  pay  this,"  said  I. 

"  You  won't  pay  it  ? "  exclaimed  the  astonished  de- 
positor.    "  Haven't  I  $900  in  this  bank?" 

"  Yes,  but  I  won't  pay  it,  just  the  same." 

Well,  that  fellow  was  hot,  and  amidst  a  series  of  un- 
mentioned  explosives  he  said,  "  If  your  blanked  old 
bank  is  busted,  you'd  better  close  up." 

"  This  bank  is  all  right,  and  as  solid  as  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar,"  said  I.  "  Now  use  business  sense  and  judg- 
ment. I  always  took  you  for  a  man  who  believed  in 
helping  along  home  industries.  Can't  you  see  that  in- 
stead of  drawing  the  money  out  of  this  bank,  if  you 
paid  for  your  cattle  with  drafts  on  Spokane,  the  Bank  of 
Wardner  would  make  one  per  cent,  out  of  the  operation? 
Nine  hundred  dollars  is  not  much  to  this  bank,  but  I 
wish  to  establish  a  financial  precedent." 

He  cooled  down,  bought  the  drafts,  and  the  bank  was 
saved;  and  it  never  did  break  while  under  my  manage- 
ment. But  the  trials  and  tribulations  of  a  bank  presi- 
dent are  great.  I  would  continually  refuse  the  right 
man  and  loan  money  to  the  wrong  man,  and  when  it 
got  so  that  I  had  to  keep  guard  with  a  shotgun  to  keep 
off  borrowing  directors,  I  just  quit. 

But  talk  about  your  Jim  Crow  bankers  and  financial 
acrobats,  my  friend  Sam  Lichtenstadter,  of  Ruby,  Oka- 
nogan, takes  the  bakery.  Fully  appreciating  his  genius 
I  intended  to  have  him  collaborate  with  me.  Sam  lo- 
cated in  Ruby,  160  miles  from  Spokane.  In  those  days 
to  transport  money  between  that  point  and  Spokane 


70  Jim   War  drier. 

cost  money,  Ed.  Cowan,  the  gifted  Western  writer, 
narrates  the  following  : 

"  His  (Lichtenstadter's)  plan  when  formed  was  to  give 
to  Ruby  all  the  benefits  of  an  abundant  circulating  me- 
dium, without  imposing  on  the  community  the  hardship 
of  a  heavy  discount  for  carriage.  At  least  such  is  the 
philanthropic  explanation  of  his  purpose  at  this  remote 
day.  He  began  by  establishing  his  place  of  final  re- 
demption at  a  Spokane  bank  through  which  he  trans- 
acted his  mercantile  business.  Then  he  ordered  several 
thousand  artistically  lithographed  checks — pink  paper — 
made  payable  in  Spokane  to  bearer,  meantime  having 
put  in  a  safe  with  the  conventional  country  cage  and 
hoisted  the  sign  of  'The  Bank  of  Ruby.' 

"  The  system  Lichtenstadter  was  about  to  carry  into 
effect  may  be  readily  understood.  To  all  depositors  and 
on  all  exchange  or  credits  he  issued  his  personal  check 
against  his  own  credit  in  far-away  Spokane.  The  sign 
having  been  swung  prematurely — that  is  to  say,  before 
the  pretty  pink  checks  arrived — a  man  named  Keene 
appeared  with  a  huge  gold  nugget  as  big  as  one's  hand, 
in  exchange  for  which  he  desired  to  get  $250  in  money. 
But  the  young  banker  had  not  enough  bills  or  coin  to 
cover  the  value  of  the  nugget,  and  in  this  predicament 
he  told  Keene,  as  a  reason  why  he  could  not  accommo- 
date him,  that  the  Bank  of  Ruby  was  a  bank  of  deposit 
only. 

"At  this  critical  point  in  the  unique  career  of  the 
Bank  of  Ruby,  when  the  blossoming  scheme  was  threat- 
ened with  the  blight  of  scandal,  when  there  was  danger 
of  a  run  against  it  before  it  had  secured  a  depositor,  a 
mining  operator  who  was  going  into  the  mountains  for 
a  few  weeks  walked  in  and  confided  to  the  young  bank- 
er's keeping  a  goodly  s^^m  of  cash.  After  he  had  left, 
Lichtenstadter  explained  to  Keene  that  he  was  only 
'  joshing '  him,  and  meant  all  the  time  to  help  him  out 
with  the  cash,  which  he  did,  and  took  the  nugget.  Next 
day  the  bundle  of  pink  checks  arrived  by  stage  and  the 
new  bank  was  saved. 

"  During  its  singular  existence  the  Bank  of  Ruby, 
otherwise  known  as  Sam  Lichtenstadter's,  issued  nearly 
$300,000  in  checks,  payable  to  bearer  at  Spokane,  and  at 
times  held  as  much  as  $35,000  in  deposits.     Few  of  these 


Wardner,   Idaho.  7 1 

checks  found  their  way  to  Spokane.  They  passed  as 
currency  throughout  Okanogan  county  and  as  far  north 
as  Penticton,  B.  C.  They  were  acceptable  to  people  in 
all  occupations  and  to  the  county  government.  The 
first  oddity  that  surprised  the  visitor  to  the  county  was 
the  omnipresent  pink  check. 

"  One  day  a  mine  buyer  appeared  at  the  bank  with  a 
draft  for  $10,000. 

"  '  I'll  cash  this  for  you,'  said  Lichtenstadter,  'but  I'll 
have  to  discount  it  5  per  cent.' 

"  The  holder  savagely  protested  that  he  didn't  pro- 
pose to  be  robbed  in  this  outrageous  manner. 

" '  That  is  what  it  costs  me  to  bring  money  into  the 
county,'  explained  the  banker  placidly,  '  but  if  you  like, 
I'll  issue  my  personal  checks  against  the  draft  in  all 
fractional  amounts  you  may  desire,  and  they  will  serve 
you  just  as  well  as  gold.' 

'"The  holder  wouldn't  listen  to  such  a  proposition. 
But  everywhere  he  went  he  saw  the  pink  checks  mov- 
ing about  with  the  freedom  and  credit  of  gold  certifi- 
cates, and  finally,  convinced  that  they  were  the  money 
of  final  redemption  of  the  camp,  he  returned  to  the  bank 
and  exchanged  his  draft  for  a  pocketful  of  them. 

"  When  depositors  checked  against  themselves  pay- 
ment was  made  by  pink  check,  and  the  pink  checks  were 
received  as  cash  deposits.  Thus  the  circulation  was 
made  rotary  and  complete.  Such  was  the  confidence  in 
these  checks  that  when  the  banker  reached  the  time  of 
final  liquidation  one  old  rancher  was  found  in  the  moun- 
tains who  had  stored  away  $1,250  worth  of  them,  and  he 
was  so  skeptical  when  advised  to  go  to  Ruby  and  get 
his  cash,  because  the  bank  was  closing,  that  he  declined 
to  do  so,  and  the  money  for  the  redemption  of  the  checks 
had  to  be  sent  to  him  by  special  messenger. 

"  The  failure  of  the  Spokane  National  Bank  and  the 
simultaneous  collapse  of  the  Okanogan  mining  boom 
caused  the  downfall  of  the  Bank  of  Ruby,  which  re- 
deemed every  pink  check  that  could  be  drummed  up. 
In  the  last  analysis  $3,000  worth  of  them  had  evaporated. 
In  other  words,  the  shrinkage  of  the  pink  check  circu- 
lation of  Okanogan  county  for  a  period  of  five  years 
represented  a  little  less  than  10  per  cent,  of  the  maxi- 
mum  deposits  or  redemption  fund  and  a  little  more 


72  Jim   Wardner. 

than  I  per  cent,  of  the  total  issue  of  circulating 
medium." 

Speaking  about  these  good  old  days  of  1886  in  Ward- 
ner, Idaho,  makes  me  remember  with  pleasure  "  Uncle 
John  "  Davenport,  who  is  among  the  most  liberal  of  men. 
He  will  not  only  give  away  all  that  he  hath  himself,  but 
also  all  that  his  friends  and  neighbors  have. 

I  returned  to  my  cabin  once  on  a  cold  winter  night 
and  found  my  little  stove  and  bed  clothes  gone.  "  Uncle 
John  "  had  given  them  to  a  needy  woman. 

In  due  time,  "Uncle  John"  went  away,  and  when  he 
returned  and  found  that  I  had  leased  his  comfortable 
cabin  and  fixtures  to  a  poor  and  deserving  woman  from 
the  Black  Hills,  and  when  he  saw  a  fine  sign,  "  Laun- 
dry," over  his  own  door,  he  enjoyed  it  hugely.  I  told 
him  that  "  He  who  giveth  unto  the  poor  lendeth  unto 
the  Lord,"  and  he  said  he  would  waive  all  interest. 
And  these  are  they  who  make  up  our  mining  camps. 

Early  in  1888  "Uncle  John"  C.  Davenport  and  my- 
self were  examining  a  gold  prospect  about  five  milCvS 
from  Nelson^  B.  C,  owned  by  Mr.  Nail,  and  called  the 
Poor  Man.  It  was  really  a  Dick  Nailer,  a  crack-a-jack, 
as  Col.  John  Burke  would  say ;  a  Lulu  is  the  word  of 
Geo.  Pfunder,  and  a  bird  it  would  be  in  my  vocabulary. 
He  wanted  to  buy  it  and  so  did  I.  Coming  down  the 
hill  together,  I  said  :  "  John,  you  want  the  Poor  Man, 
and  so  do  I.  It  won't  pay  to  bid  against  each  other  ; 
Nail's  price  is  high  enough,  viz.,  ^35,000  for  a  baby 
mine.  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do  ;  I'll  play  you  seven-up, 
best  two  out  of  three,  seven  points  each.  He  who  wins, 
stays;  he  who  loses,  goes." 

"Uncle  John"  was  the  boss  at  seven-up.  I  came 
"pretty  near  winning,"  as  Dutch  Jake  says.  In  fifteen 
minutes  I  steamed  away  on  the  little  steamer  Idaho, 
which  was  there  awaiting  one  of  us  for  a  passenger. 
"  Uncle  John  "  Davenport  taught  me  whist  and  kept  me 
poor.  God  bless  him  !  May  he  live  long  and  may  the 
Poor  Man  still  continue  to  enrich  him  !  is  my  wish. 

Wardner,  Idaho,  grew  and  prospered  ;  1886  was  an 
eventful  year.  The  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  was 
booming  along,  the  concentrator  was  under  process  of 
construction,  and  I  was  sitting  in  my  cabin  when  I  was 
accosted  by  a  gentleman  on  a  good-looking  mule. 


Wardner,  Idaho.  73  ' 

"  Is  your  name  Wardner,  and  are  you  running  this 
big  mine  ?  I  want  to  go  and  take  a  look  at  it — want  to 
sample  it.  You  had  better  take  that  gunny  sack  along 
and  a  pick,  too.     How  far  is  it  up  there  ?" 

I  told  him  and  we  started  up.  I  picked  up  the  gunny 
sack,  and  after  he  had  sampled  the  heavy  lead  ore  care- 
fully, I  holding  the  sack  and  he  dropping  the  pieces  of 
lead  ore  into  it,  some  weighing  many  pounds,  we  re- 
turned to  my  cabin.  He  concluded  the  load  was  too 
heavy  to  pack  on  behind  his  saddle  and  that  he  would 
"sample  it  down."  I  therefore  grabbed  the  sack  by 
the  ears  and  emptied  the  contents  on  the  ground,  when 
lo  and  behold  !  out  dropped  a  stick  of  giant  powder  No. 
2.  We  had  both  of  us  been  deliberately  trying  to  com- 
mit suicide  all  day.  I  cannot  exactly  remember  what 
Mr.  D.  C.  Corbin  said.  He  was  very  much  affected. 
However,  drawing  from  his  pocket  the  left  hind  foot  of 
a  rabbit  killed  in  the  dark  of  the  moon,  he  mused  and 
grunted  :  "  How  much  is  D.  C.  Corbin  indebted  to  that 
rabbit  foot?    Ask  him." 

Before  he  left  he  gave  me  instructions  in  regard  to 
the  right  of  way  for  a  railroad.  In  a  week  his  survey- 
ors were  on  the  ground  ;  in  a  month  the  railroad  was 
commenced,  and  in  less  than  four  months  I  was  ship- 
ping my  ore  by  rail. 

Mr.  Corbin  has  since  built  many  miles  of  railroad. 
The  whole  mining  country  near  Spokane  and  in  British 
Columbia  is  indebted  for  its  prosperity  more  to 
the  efforts  of  D.  C.  Corbin  than  any  other  man  that 
I  know  of. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

STRIKES    MADE    BY    CURIOUS    MEANS. 

The  discovery  of  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  by  a 
Spanish  jackass  reminds  me  of  two  other  instances  in 
which  rich  strikes  were  due  to  other  than  human  agen- 
cies. The  first  occurred  in  Okanogan  county,  Idaho, 
September  i8,  1892,  and  is  as  follows  : 

Two  prospectors,  Redmond  and  Herrick,  were  out 
hunting  and  prospecting,  and  they  had  with  them  a 
bird  dog  named  Skookum.  They  were  working  through 
the  Salmon  River  Basin.  When  they  came  over  a  hill  and 
looked  down  into  a  'ittle  ravine  with  a  brook  runnincr 
through  the  bottom,  they  saw  in  a  bush  overhanging 
the  brook  a  pheasant,  at  which  one  of  the  men  shot. 
The  bird  fell  into  the  water  and  the  dog  Skookum 
started  after  it.  As  he  scrambled  back  with  it  in  his 
mouth,  his  paw  pulled  down  some  soft  green  moss  from 
the  rock  at  the  side  of  the  stream.  The  prospectors 
noticed  that  the  stone  showed  white  under  the  moss. 
They  made  an  examination  and  found  it  to  be  gold- 
bearing  quartz.  They  followed  the  lead  and  located 
two  claims. 

Well,  I  had  been  for  some  time  looking  for  that  sort 
of  ore,  and  so  I  bonded  the  two  claims,  and  with  them 
included  the  black  dog  Skookum.  Thus,  you  see,  that 
again  by  a  lucky  circumstance  a  dog's  paw  did  for  the 
Red  Jacket  what  the  jackass's  ears  did  for  the  Sullivan. 
I  soon  sold  this  mine  for  a  healthy  little  sum  and 
turned  my  attention  to  the  development  and  exploita- 
tion of  another  mine  which  I  got  under  similar  curious 
circumstances. 

Frank  Austin  was  a  ranch  hand  working  in  a  logging 
camp  near  Snohomish,  and  had  a  small  shack  located  on 
a  homestead.  He  supported  his  family  by  working  in 
the  camp,  and  hoped  eventually  to  prove  upon  his  land. 


Strikes  Made  by  Curious  Means.  75 

He  was  not  a  miner  and  never  thought  much  about 
mmes. 

One  night  he  dreamed  of  a  region  of  yellow  gold  and 
bright  silver.  Surface  views  showed  the  precious  met- 
als in  large  quantities.  The  dream  was  so  vivid  that  all 
the  surrounding  objects  were  thoroughly  impressed  on 
his  memory.  All  the  next  day  he  kept  thinking  about 
his  dream.  He  tried  to  convince  himself  that  he  was 
not  a  superstitious  man,  but  he  told  his  wife  of  his 
dream,  and  she,  too,  was  much  surprised  with  the  cir- 
cumstances. He  had  no  money  to  go  out  prospecting, 
but  one  day  he  saw  me,  and  called  me  aside  and  re- 
peated his  story.  I  laughed  as  he  told  me,  yet  after  as- 
suring myself  that  the  fellow  was  honest,  I  pulled  out  a 
large  roll  of  bills  which  I  always  carried,  and  gave 
him  some,  telling  him  if  he  thought  he  could  find  any- 
thing he  might  try.  A  month  afterward  I  received  a 
letter  telling  me  a  rich  mine  had  been  discovered. 

The  peculiar  part  of  it  is  that  the  Alpha  mine  was  on 
a  ledge  where  neither  gold  nor  silver  had  ever  been 
found  before,  and  Austin  discovered  it  just  as  it  ap- 
peared to  him  in  his  dream. 

All  this  goes  to  show  that  luck  often  plays  a  promi- 
nent part  in  striking  it  rich,  which,  if  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  compare  great  things  with  small,  recalls  the 
following  incident.  Until  this  occurred  I  had  been  a 
firm  believer  in  the  old  adage,  "  Honesty  is  the  best 
policy."  It  was  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  the 
first  day  out  of  Seattle,  on  one  of  my  flights  across  the 
continent.  I  had  spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  in  the 
smoKing  compartment  of  the  Pullman  and  was  about 
retiring  to  my  berth  when,  lo  and  behold,  as  I 
reached  about  the  middle  of  the  car,  there  lay  imme- 
diately in  front  of  my  toes  a  great,  big,  fat  pocketbook. 
At  the  same  time  something  else  met  my  vision.  It 
was  a  pair  of  red  stockings  sticking  out  from  under  the 
curtains  of  the  berth  to  my  right;  and  I  got  the  impres- 
sion that  the  owner  of  the  red  stockings  was  also  the 
owner  of  the  pocketbook.  Picking  up  the  pocketbook, 
I  thrust  it  through  the  folds  of  the  curtains,  restoring 
the  book,  as  I  thought,  to  the  owner.  Now,  all  this  was 
a  matter  of  impulse,  or  honesty,  call  it  which  you  will, 
but  it  caused  me  a  sleepless  night,  partly  from  regret 


•J  6  Jim   Wardner. 

for  having  given  up  the  boodle  and  partly  from  fear 
that  the  man  with  the  red  stockings  was  not  the  origi- 
nal owner. 

Well,  the  next  day  in  the  dining-car  a  gentleman  with 
red  stockings,  which  were  plainly  to  be  seen  over  the 
tops  of  his  low  shoes,  was  enjoying  with  friend  that 
best  of  all  good  things,  a  great,  big,  cold  bottle  of 
Miimm's  Extra  Dry.  Later  in  the  day  we  became  ac- 
quainted, and  the  fruits  of  our  acquaintance  were  an- 
other bottle  of  Mumm's,  and  still  another.  Then  my 
new-found  friend  became  loquacious,  and  finally  con- 
fidential. He  told  me  of  the  "  funniest  experience  of 
his  life,"  and  after  having  dilated  fully  on  his  good  luck, 
here  is  what  he  said  : 

"  Say,  look  here  ;  I  don't  mind  telling  you  confiden- 
tially that  I  had  the  d 1  time  of  my  life  last  night. 

Just  going  to  bed  ;  just  got  my  shoes  off,  and  if  some 
fool  didn't  go  and  shove  a  pocketbook  right  into  my 
hand  and  went  away,  never  saying  a  word." 

"  Is  that  so  ? "  said  I.  "  Was  there  anything  in  the 
book?" 

"  Well,  I  guess  there  was,"  said  he.  "  An  even  hun- 
dred bucks." 

"  Have  you  got  the  book  ? "  says  I, 

"Not  much,"  says  he,  "but  I've  got  the  contents." 

"Well,"  I  says,  "I  am  the  fool  that  gave  you  that 
pocketbook,  and  I  want  fifty  bucks  right  now."  He 
handed  them  over  after  considerable  expostulation.  And 
the  strange  part  of  the  story  is  that  we  never  found  the 
owner. 

The  man  who  lost  the  pocketbook,  in  all  probability, 
got  off  at  Spokane,  Well,  I  did  not  make  any  serious 
efforts  to  find  him,  yet  if  he  is  alive  and  reads  this  ac- 
count and  can  give  his  name,  and  if  he  needs  it  more 
than  I  do,  he  can  have  my  share  ;  and  the  man  with  the 
red  stockings  has  cheerfully  agreed  to  follow  suit. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A    GREWSOME    AWAKENING. 

To  have  a  well-filled  pocketbook  thrust  upon  you 
doesn't  often  occur,  but,  speaking  of  odd  happenings, 
my  old  friend,  the  Hon.  Alexander  McKenzie,  who  has 
filled  many  official  positions  of  trust,  and  is  universally 
known  and  respected  throughout  North  and  South 
Dakota,  told  me  a  good  one  on  himself  one  day.  At 
the  time  of  this  event  he  was  the  sheriff  of  Burleigh 
county,  in  North  Dakota,  and  resided  in  Bismarck. 
His  duties  caused  many  a  long  ride  over  hard  roads  and 
prairies,  swimming  streams,  and  climbing  steep  ascents. 
It  was  on  one  of  these  chases  for  criminals  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  Missouri  River,  that,  tired  and  weary,  he  un- 
saddled his  horse  at  mid-day  to  refresh  himself  at  a 
stream  and  have  a  few  moments'  rest  in  the  shade  of  a 
little  tree.  Tying  his  horse  by  the  bridle  rein  to  this 
tree,  he  lay  down  and  dozed  off  to  sleep. 

The  cayuse,  however,  would  not  have  it  that  way. 
Uneasy  and  restive,  like  all  cayuses,  he  pulled  and 
jerked  backward,  and  this  caused  a  swaying  of  the  tree. 
Mr.  McKenzie  was  suddenly  awakened  by  heavy  ob- 
jects falling  upon  and  around  him.  The  cayuse  was 
still  pulling,  and  finally  the  sheriff  ran  for  safety  to  es- 
cape a  perfect  shower  of  human  hands,  feet  and  heads. 

The  fact  of  the  matter  was  that  the  cayuse  had  stood 
there  and  deliberately  shaken  down  an  old  Indian 
graveyard. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


"  SHORTY. 


After  the  sale  of  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  came  a 
discovery  of  gold  mines  in  the  South  Fork.  Mr.  Ber- 
nard Goldsmith  and  I  invested  heavily  in  these  proper- 
ties. I  quote  from  a  Spokane  newspaper  in  the  month 
of  August,  1887  :  "Through  the  indomitable  energy 
and  perseverance  of  James  F.  Wardner,  Spokane  Falls 
has  had  $250,000  invested  in  buildings  and  improve- 
ments within  her  limits.  This  same  genius  now  turns 
from  the  baser  metal  and  gives  the  neglected  gold  mines 
of  the  matchless  South  Fork  the  benefit  of  his  energy, 
wisdom,  and  experience,  and  behold  the  result !  Can 
too   much   praise  be  given  the  hardy  prospector  who 

"  Opens  the  vault  where  the  gold-dust  shines, 
And  gives  us  the  key  to  the  silver  mines  ?" 

These  properties  were  not  a  success  financially. 

In  connection  with  them,  however,  I  must  tell  you 
about  "  Shorty." 

"  Shorty"  was  a  case.  In  the  summer  of  1888  he  was 
general  utility  man  of  the  Alma  and  Nellie  Wood  mines, 
situated  about  six  miles  from  the  town  of  Wardner, 
Idaho.  I  was  at  that  time  general  manager.  It  hap- 
pened that  one  of  the  tunnels  caved  in  and  buried  un- 
der the  debris  a  poor  unfortunate  German,  the  first  fatal 
accident  that  had  occurred  during  my  administration 
and  the  only  accident  that  ever  occurred  in  any  mine 
with  the  management  of  which  I  was  connected  during 
my  long  years  in  the  business. 

Well,  "  Shorty  "  was  the  one  who  was  to  superintend 
the  funeral  of  the  German — digging  the  grave,  making 
arrangements  with  the  undertaker,  summoning  the  per- 
son who  was  to  read  the  burial  service,  and  the  rest 
But  somehow  everything  went  wrong  with  "  Shorty." 


"  Shorty r  79 

There  was  a  hitch  from  the  start.  The  burial  place 
was  on  the  summit  of  a  divide,  and  the  cayuses  shied 
and  balked  in  the  most  unceremonious  manner.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  grave,  "  Shorty  "  was  again  put  to  worry  and 
trouble  by  discovering  that  the  hole  was  about  six  inches 
too  short  for  the  box.  Four  of  the  attendants  with  picks 
and  shovels  soon  remedied  that,  however,  and  the  burial 
proceeded.  The  Episcopal  service  was  read,  and  the 
miner  reading  it  had  instructed  another  standing  near 
to  carry  out  the  usual  exercises.  As  the  words  "  ashes 
to  ashes  and  dust  to  dust "  were  slowly  read,  Bill  P— — 
began  to  throw  in  gravel  on  top  of  the  box,  first  with 
his  hands  and  then  with  a  shovel.  At  this  "Shorty's" 
consternation  and  anger  knew  no  bounds.  He  jumped 
from  one  person  to  another,  asserting  vehemently  that 
the  d — n  fool  was  crazy  and  was  breaking  up  the  funeral. 
*'  Shorty  "  was  bound  to  have  it  so,  too,  and  could  not 
be  stopped  until  Bill  Black  got  him  by  the  arm.  and 
assured  him  it  was  part  of  the  ceremony. 

"  Shorty  "  is  one  of  those  big-hearted  characters  who 
never  forgive  an  insult.     The  act  on  the  part  of  Bill 

P he  considered  a  personal  insult  and  as  one  never 

to  be  forgiven  or  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SPOKANE. 

And  How  it  Happened  That  I  Became  a  Member  of  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Order  of  Happy  Grangers. 

Of  course,  these  sales  and  the  rapid  growth  of  Coeur 
d'Alene  thrust  prosperity  on  Spokane,  and  its  property- 
boomed.  We  all  bought,  and  as  new  railroads  came  in 
with  new  people  and  plenty  of  money  from  the  East,  it 
grew  from  a  sprightly  town  into  a  beautiful  city. 
Scourged  by  fire  and  the  terrors  of  the  depreciation  of 
real  estate,  Spokane  has  come  out  of  the  ashes,  her 
values  are  rapidly  getting  back  to  the  old  prices,  and  the 
wealth  of  a  thousand  mines  is  being  poured  into  her  lap 
of  luxury. 

Spokane  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  cities  in  the 
United  States  to-day ;  wonderful  in  its  beauty,  wonder- 
ful for  the  most  magnificent  water-power,  which  divides 
the  city  in  two  ;  wonderful  for  the  stability  of  its  banks, 
on  the  minds  of  whose  officers  recollections  of  the  writer 
must  be  indelibly  impressed;  wonderful  for  the  zeal  of 
its  inhabitants  and  their  loyalty  to  the  welfare  of  the 
town ;  most  wonderful  that  in  the  short  space  of  ten 
years  it  has  grown  from  a  town  of  2,000  people  to  a  city 
of  30,000,  and  that  to-day  it  is,  as  it  were,  the  center  and 
hub  of  the  wheel  of  the  greatest  mining  country  in  the 
Unitei?  States. 

Tributary  to  this  city  we  have  Rossland,  West  Koote- 
nay,  East  Kootenay,  Slokan,  Coeur  d'Alene,  the  Okonag- 
an  mining  district  and  the  mines  of  the  Pend  d'Oreille. 
Its  vast  agricultural  surroundings  have  also  contributedto 
its  success.  The  wheat  that  is  ground  in  the  city  is  eaten 
in  the  Orient,  and  the  early  fruits  of  the  Snake  River 
will  find  their  way  to  Cape  Nome.  The  magnificent 
products  of  Spokane's  henneries  and  her  creameries  have 


Spokane.  8i 

already  found  a  ready  market  in  the  Klondike,  and  her 
hay  and  feed  products  are  sent  to  the  Philippines.  The  va- 
rious mining  camps  spoken  of  demand  good  things  and 
good  prices,  and  the  combination  of  supply  and  demand  is 
a  most  fortunate  and  healthful  proposition  for  Spokane. 

While  traveling  in  the  East  and  in  the  West  I  have  no- 
ticed the  differences  in  individuals,  and  have  studied 
out  the  cause  that  produces  the  effect.  For  instance,  in 
Connecticut  we  have  one  individuality,  in  New  York 
another,  and  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky  still  others. 
These  individualities  are  made  and  formed,  first,  from 
hereditary  causes,  and,  second,  from  climatic  influences  ; 
but  there  exists  in  one  part  of  the  United  States  a  par- 
ticularly distinctive  individuality  :  I  am  speaking  of  the 
citizens  of  Spokane.  The  old  adage  that  "  Birds  of  a 
feather  flock  together  "  proves  true  in  every  way  and 
every  day,  and  more  than  asserts  itself  in  the  city  of 
Spokane.  It  would  seem  that  no  demand,  up  to  date, 
on  the  citizens  of  that  city,  where  money  has  been 
needed  to  promote  its  welfare,  has  proven  too  great. 
The  outsider  who  views  its  commercial  prosperity 
and  network  of  railways  that  make  it  as  good  as  a  ter- 
minal, the  never-ending  improvements  to  be  seen  in  its 
suburbs,  and  the  bus}'-  stir  in  its  streets,  wonders  what 
is  the  cause  of  it  all.  The  cause  is  the  never-falter- 
ing, never-failing,  unflinching  loyalty  of  the  Spokane 
citizen  for  the  best  interests  of  Spokane. 

The  Spokesman- Reviezv  has  wisely  said  that  Spokane 
is  the  undisputed  trade,  industrial,  railroad,  educa- 
tional and  social  center  of  a  rapidly  developing  country. 

From  a  social  point  of  view,  I  will  say  that  the  man 
who  has  once  resided  in  Spokane  will  never  claim  any 
other  place  as  his  residence.  It  is  my  privilege  to  insert 
in  this  little  book  these  few  recollections,  that  lead  me 
back  to  many,  many  happy  days  gone  by. 

Spokane  now  has  hundreds  of  mining  men  who  have 
made  a  legitimate  success,  and  one  looks  back  with 
pleasure  to  the  rustling  and  struggling  and  true  merit 
and  square  dealing  of  such  men  as  Finch,  Clark, 
McCauley,  Williamson,  Sweeney,  the  boss  rustler; 
Crane,  Loring,  D.  C.  Corbin,  Austin  Corbin,  George  W. 
Dickinson,  Barney  Barinds,  C.  G.  Griffith,  Billy  Alper- 
son,  C.  D.  Porter,  Peter  Porter,  George  Darby,  George 


82  Jim   Wardner. 

Hughes,  Fred  Kelly,  Jack  Wilmot,  Senator  Turner, 
Oliver  Durant,  Alec  McCune,  Scott  McDonald,  "  Uncle 
John  "  Davenport,  Billy  Harris,  and  a  hundred  others 
whose  success  has  been  rightfully  earned  and  who  have 
the  congratulations  of  everybody. 

It  was  in  Spokane,  shortly  before  the  time  of  which 
I  am  now  writing,  that  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing W.  J.  McConnell,  afterward  Governor  McConnell 
of  Idaho.  The  Governor  was  at  that  time  in  Spokane 
on  business  for  his  lodge,  The  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Order  of  Happy  Grangers,  of  which  he  is  the  grand 
patriarch  of  the  world.  McConnell  installed  me  as 
general  patriarch  of  Idaho.  While  we  have  much  in 
our  lodge  of  a  secret  nature,  yet  our  main  motto  is, 
"  Never  refuse  a  drink  nor  kick  a  dog."  I  believe  lam 
regarded  as  a  good  member  of  the  organization. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


(< 


DUTCH  JAKE. 


The  Most  Remarkable  Character  in  the  Great  Northwest — Philan- 
thropist, Theatrical  Manager,  and  All-Round  Sport — He  Runs 
a  Keno  Layout  by  Electricity. 

Jacob  Goetz,  of  the  city  of  Spokane,  Washington,  is 
the  most  noted  and  unique  character  in  the  great  North- 
west. He  is  a  man  of  wealth,  influence,  and  strange 
peculiarities.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  has  been 
known  throughout  Montana,  Idaho,  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington as  "Dutch  Jake."  He  is  in  the  prime  of  a  life 
that  may  cease  suddenly,  but  he  will  never  grow  old  in 
appearance. 

More  than  fifteen  years  ago  he  went  into  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  country  with  hundreds  of  other  stampeders  and 
hauled  all  his  worldly  possessions  from  Thompson's 
Falls  to  Murray  on  a  toboggan.  Between  his  broad 
Dutch  smile  and  his  fairly  good  whiskey,  he  became 
popular  with  the  miners  and  made  money  rapidly. 
Being  the  owner  of  rich  bar-diggings  at  Potosi,  it  was 
his  habit  whenever  he  saw  a  man  who  was  "  broke  "  to 
give  him  an  outfit  and  tell  him  to  go  to  work  at  the 
diggings  and  take  out  enough  gold  to  give  himself  a 
start.  -^^ 

"  Dutch  Jake  "  rS^mbered  back  in  the  States  a  rosy- 
cheeked  girl  that  he  had  been  fond  of,  and  he  wrote  for 
her  to  come  out  to  the  mountains  and  share  his  increas- 
ing wealth.  She  came,  and  in  1887,  on  the  17th  day  of 
January,  Murray  witnessed  the  greatest  and  grandest 
wedding  of  its  history.  Jake  published  a  notice  in  the 
local  newspaper,  inviting  all  persons  within  the  limits 
of  Montana,  Idaho  and  Washington,  to  come  to  his  wed- 
ding. Then  he  had  posters  printed  and  posted  up  on 
the  mountain  walls  and  the  big  trees  and  every  sightly 


84  Jiin   Wardner. 

place,  asking  all  readers  to  join  the  feast  and  festivities 
at  Murray,  Idaho,  the  last  line  of  the  invitation  reading, 
"  Nobody  barred." 

The  day  of  "  Dutch  Jake's  "  wedding  opened  with  the 
firing  of  dynamite  salutes  in  every  camp  and  cafion 
where  miners  were  at  work.  The  only  brass  band  in 
the  district  blew  its  blasts  and  beat  its  drums  all  day 
long,  and  wines  and  liquors  were  in  exhaustless  quanti- 
ties for  every  person's  indulgence.  There  were  fire- 
works and  feasting  and  dancing.  The  marriage  cere- 
mony was  performed  in  the  midst  of  the  biggest  crowd 
that  ever  gathered  at  one  time  and  place  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene  Mountains.  The  presents  were  numerous  and 
very  expensive.  A  week  before  the  wedding  I  went 
to  Spokane  Falls  and  carried  orders  from  more  than  two 
hundred  friends  and  admirers  to  purchase  presents  for 
the  happy  couple.  I  remember  that  one  package  of 
silverware  weighed  over  700  pounds.  The  variety  of 
wedding  presents  was  not  only  wonderful  but  astound- 
ing, covering  every  necessity  of  living,  including  the 
bedroom. 

"  Dutch  Jake  "  never  failed  to  grubstake  miners  who 
appealed  to  his  generosity,  and  one  day  he  helped  to 
outfit  Phil  O'Rourke,  Con  Sullivan  and  L.  H.  Kellogg. 
A  part  of  the  outfit  was  a  thoroughbred  jackass,  which 
became  widely  known  as  "  Kellogg's  Jack  "  and  as  the 
real  discoverer  of  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  mine; 
he  threatened  at  one  time  to  outrival  even  "  Dutch 
Jake"  himself  in  importance  and  notoriety.  That  was 
a  lucky  grubstake  for  Jake.  It  netted  him  $100,000 
when  the  mine  was  sold. 

After  receiving  this  money,  "  Dutch  Jake  "  moved  to 
Spokane  Falls,  and  then,  with  Harry  F.  Baer  as  a  part- 
ner, he  built  the  first  brick  building  in  that  thriving 
Western  city  and  established  the  most  curious  combi- 
nation of  theater,  saloon,  gambling  house,  dance  hall 
and  hotel — free  to  any  and  all  persons  who  were  "  broke  " 
— that  has  ever  been  brought  together  under  one  roof. 
The  great  fire  swept  away  Goetz  &  Baer's  place,  and 
upon  the  site  of  the  old  building  they  erected  an  estab- 
lishment which  by  uniqueness,  together  with  the  eccen- 
tricities of  "  Dutch  Jake  "  and  the  stability  of  his  part- 
ner, Harry  F.  Baer,  created  a  tremendous  patronage,  so 


JACOB   GOETZ. 

(dutch    JAKE.) 


''Dutch  Jake:'  85 

great  that  in  time  they  were  obliged  to  increase  their 
institution,  until  to-day,  not  even  in  the  city  of  NewYork, 
and  I  doubt  if  in  all  the  world,  can  a  like  institution 
be  found.  Money  has  been  lavishly  spent  on  the  fittings, 
carpets  and  general  fixtures  of  four  immense  floors.  The 
size  of  the  property  is  100  by  no  feet,  and  the  various 
occupations  of  this  weird  establishment  are  owned  and 
controlled  by  the  proprietors.  The  first  floor  is  tiled, 
and  in  one  corner,  as  you  enter  the  barroom,  is  a  fine 
barber  shop  with  an  entrance  leading  into  a  Turkish 
bath  department.  This  Turkish  bath  department  has 
also  an  entrance  from  the  street.  A  person  can  get  any- 
thing he  wants  in  this  place  of  business — drink,  bath, 
meal,  bed,  shave,  go  to  the  theater,  dance  hall  or  gam- 
bling room.  The  house  is  of  pressed  brick,  has  the  latest 
modern  improvements,  is  steam-heated,  and  lighted  by 
gas  and  electricity.  The  lighting  plant  is  owned  by  the 
proprietors  and  is  established  in  the  basement,  where 
one  will  also  find  large  liquor  and  lunch  counters.  The 
bar  on  the  first  floor  is  an  exceedingly  beautiful  affair. 
The  fixtures  are  of  cherry  and  the  mirrors  French  plate. 
On  this  floor  and  to  the  right  of  the  bar  is  the  only  por- 
trait in  the  building.  This  portrait  is  circular,  has  a 
diameter  of  three  feet,  and  the  frame  is  six  inches  in 
width,  beautifully  variegated,  of  gold  and  silver.  It  is 
a  portrait  of  Jim  Wardner,  of  Wardner,  Idaho. 

Take  the  stairway  leading  to  the  theater,  club  rooms 
and  the  dance  hall.  The  theater  takes  in  the  second 
and  third  floors,  and  the  fourth  floor  is  the  dance  hall. 
About  one-third  of  the  second  floor  is  occupied  by  the 
club  room.  In  this  room  every  known  game  of  chance 
is  played.  First  of  all,  that  wonderful  and  original  game 
of  "  Dutch  Jake's,"  keno,  by  electricity.  The  electrical 
work  in  this  game  is  of  such  a  character  that  it  guaran- 
tees both  the  player  and  the  proprietor  absolute  fair- 
ness. 

There  is  no  calling  out  of  numbers,  for  the  balls  which 
are  drawn  are  placed  in  a  groove  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  the  ball,  and  the  decline  of  the  little  sphere 
operates  an  electric  wire  which  causes  the  card  bearing 
the  number  of  the  ball  to  appear  upon  the  wall,  so  that 
the  noise  of  the  caller  and  possible  mistakes  are  avoided. 
Here  also  we  find  the  games  of  roulette,  stud  poker, 


86  Jim   Wardner. 

faro,  Klondike  and  craps,  played  by  an  immense  and 
motley  assemblage. 

Under  no  circumstances  does  the  concern  permit  minors 
to  frequent  the  gambling  hall,  and  often  "  Dutch  Jake  " 
will  advise  married  men  who  he  thinks  are  spending 
too  much  money  at  his  establishment  to  go  home  and 
keep  away  from  the  game.  He  is  a  domestic  man  him- 
self and  cannot  tolerate  anything  that  infringes  upon 
the  supreme  rights  of  women  and  children.  "  Dutch 
Jake "  would  never  be  able  to  understand  why  New 
York  men  sit  calmly  in  street  cars  and  elevated  trains 
and  permit  women  to  stand. 

Fine  lunch  counters  are  all  over  the  house,  and 
the  goods  sold  are  the  very  best.  "  Dutch  Jake's " 
goods  are  like  his  character.  While  whiskey  will  not 
be  considered  by  many  people  in  the  world  with  any 
degree  of  toleration,  yet  nobody  doubts  the  purity 
of  "  Dutch  Jake's  "  whiskey,  and  it  is  the  same  with  his 
character.  Few  men  in  his  line  of  business  have  so  in- 
delibly stamped  upon  the  minds  of  any  community 
their  honesty  and  integrity  as  has  "  Dutch  Jake." 

There  are  144  men  and  women  working  in  this  estab- 
lishment. Here  you  find  barkeepers,  barbers,  carpenters, 
gamblers,  actors,  electricians,  waiters,  and  boot-blacks. 
The  house  never  closes  its  doors.  It  is  a  continuous  per- 
formance the  year  round.  "  Dutch  Jake  "  is  a  good  pay- 
master, and  the  average  pay  of  his  144  employees  is  $4 
per  day.  A  faro  dealer  in  that  country  earns  %\o  per 
day.     Thus,  you  see,  the  salary  list  is  $576  per  day. 

I  almost  forgot  to  mention  one  of  the  principal  rooms 
in  this  house.  It  is  devoted  by  this  humanitarian  to  the 
poor  and  needy  who  stroll  into  his  place  asking  for  a 
meal  and  a  place  to  lie  down.  In  this  apartment  any 
poor  man  is  permitted  to  lie  down  and  also  to  receive 
one  square  meal  a  day  free  of  charge.  In  this  room  I 
have  seen  in  the  early  hours  of  a  bitter  cold  and  stormy 
morning  hundreds  of  these  poor  fellows  huddled  to- 
gether, covered  only  with  a  blanket  which  "  Dutch 
Jake  "  would  always  furnish  them.  Here  the  men  are 
compelled  to  be  neat,  and  if  a  lodger  desires  a  bath  he 
is  escorted  to  the  bath-room.  Cleanliness  is  one  of 
"  Dutch  Jake's  "  hobbies. 

"Dutch  Jake's"  partner,  Harry  F.  Baer,  has  been 


''Dutch  Jake."  87 

associated  with  him  many  years  and  is  the  only  partner 
Jake  ever  had.  The  fact  that  there  has  never  been  any 
disagreement  between  them  proves  that  both  are  of  the 
right  sort — square,  reliable,  and  generous.  Their  names 
generally  head  the  subscriptions  for  public  charitable 
objects. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

FAIRHAVEN,   WASHINGTON. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  these  memoirs : 
Eig-hteen  eighty-nine  was  a  bad  year  for  me ;  I  tried 
wheat,  oil,  stocks,  and  spent  much  money  prospecting  ; 
my  expenses  were  very  high.  I  still  had  a  champagne 
appetite,  but  only  a  lager  beer  income.  I  decided  to  go 
to  Gov.  Hauser  and  get  a  job  buying  ore  for  the  Helena 
smelters. 

I  got  aboard  a  Northern  Pacific  train  at  Spokane,  and 
there  met  Mr.  Nelson  Bennett,  the  great  contractor  and 
big-hearted  millionaire.  I  was  side-tracked  to  fortune. 
He  said  :  "  Jim,  I  want  you.  I  am  building  up  a  great 
city — Fairhaven,  Washington,  will  be  the  terminal  point 
of  three  great  overland  railroads.  T  am  building  a  rail- 
road that  will  top  them  all.  Fairhaven  is  the  coming 
metropolis  of  Puget  Sound.  I  am  going  to  New  York 
now,  and  if  I  wire  to  you  at  Helena  to  come  to  New 
York,  you  come." 

At  Garrison  Junction  we  parted,  he  going  via  Butte 
and  I  going  via  Helena.  But,  after  wabbling  the  mat- 
ter over  in  my  mind  for  an  hour,  I  concluded  to  go 
right  through  to  New  York,  and  take  Helena  in  as  a 
by-product,  as  it  were,  afterward. 

Well,  I  saw  Mr.  Bennett  when  he  registered  at  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  but  he  didn't  see  me.  However, 
in  a  couple  of  days  I  made  myself  known  to  him,  and 
he  said  :  "  It's  all  right ;  go  ahead,  boom  her  !  Here's 
a  letter  to  Wilson.     When  will  you  start?" 

"  To-night — this  minute,"  I  said;  "  quick  as  you  write 
that  letter." 

Back  I  went.  I  felt  that  everything-  was  all  right.  A 
wave  of  prosperity  was  rolling  westward,  and  I  was  on 
the  crest.  Everything  came  my  way.  I  stopped  on  the 
way  one  day  with  my  family  in  Spokane,  and  during 
the  time  bonded  the  Boston  mine  in  the  Cascades,  which 


Fair  haven,  Washington.  89 

I  afterward  sold  for  $25,000.  I  hurried  on  to  the  coast, 
and  found  Tacoma,  Seattle,  and  Anacortes  red-hot — 
investors  flocking  in  from  everywhere — but  not  a  word 
about  Fairhaven. 

I  took  the  old  tub  Eliza  Anderson  and  landed  at  Fair- 
haven,  where  I  met  Chas.  D.  Francis  at  the  wharf.  The 
one  locomotive  that  belonged  to  the  railroad,  ten  miles 
long,  was  switching  a  carload  of  lumber.  That  same 
carload  was  switched  on  the  arrival  of  every  boat. 
Francis  asked  me  my  business,  and  I  told  him  I  was 
going  to  look  around,  and  might  start  a  bank.  He  said 
he  already  had  a  permit  from  the  United  States  Treas- 
urer to  start  a  National  Bank,  but  he  could  not  see  any- 
thing but  stumps  and  trees  for  depositors  and  customers. 
He  was  afterward  my  cashier  in  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Fairhaven. 

I  went  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Fairhaven  Land 
Company,  and  there  met  my  old  friends,  E.  M.  Wilson, 
Cogill,  and  Gov.  George  Black.  I  exhibited  my  letter 
and  bought  135  lots,  25  per  cent,  down;  balance,  three, 
six,  nine  and  twelve  months.  I  had  $10,000  in  cash, 
and  this  I  at  once  invested  in  options  on  business  prop- 
erty right  in  the  heart  of  Fairhaven,  for  which  I  paid 
from  $100  to  $250  per  front  foot.  In  one  month  I  had 
organized  the  Fairhaven  Water  Works  Company,  the 
Fairhaven  Electric  Light  Company,  the  Samish  Lake 
Logging  and  Milling  Company,  the  Cascade  Club,  First 
National  Bank,  and  the  Fairhaven  National  Bank,  of 
which  I  was  president.  I  was  also  president  of  the  first 
three  named  corporations,  and  vice-president  of  the 
Cascade  Club  and  the  First  National  Bank.  Modesty, 
you  will  notice,  never  kept  me  in  the  background.  The 
town  was  incorporated  ;  E.  M.  Wilson  was  elected  Mayor 
and  I  was  elected  Alderman.  Here  I  made  a  record. 
During  the  year,  I  think  I  seconded  four  motions  and 
moved  to  adjourn  each  time  I  was  present. 

But  I  am  getting  ahead  of  my  story.  So  close  did 
I  invest  my  money  and  so  busy  was  I  that  I  arrived  in 
Tacoma  "broke,"  forgetting  thac  I  had  told  my  wife  to 
meet  me  there,  and  that  we  would  go  to  San  Francisco 
together.  She  had  been  waiting  for  me  two  days.  She 
is  a  great  waiter.  Just  keep  her  anticipating  and  she 
is  perfectly  happy.     She  grows  fat  on  promises  and  is 


go  Jim   Wardner. 

happy  in  financial  adversity.  I  got  hold  of  her  acci- 
dentally and  I  have  educated  her  splendidly.  The  click 
of  the  nightlock  bothers  her  no  longer.  She  does  not 
implicitly  believe  what  I  say  ;  consequently  she  has 
few  disappointments.  I  do  not  confide  my  business  to 
her,  and  she  is  not  worried  and  never  blamed.  I  taught 
her  early  to  go  out  alone  ;  hence  she  is  courageous.  I 
guess  we  are  both  of  us  of  the  same  opinion  on  every 
subject,  for  we  never  gossip  or  debate.  She  was  bright 
and  intelligent  when  I  got  hold  of  her  and  was  easy  to 
educate.  The  time  to  educate  them  is  in  their  youth. 
Well,  there  she  was,  waiting  for  me. 

"  Got  any  money  ?  "  says  I. 

She  says,  "  Nit." 

Both  "  broke,"  and  bound  for  San  Francisco. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  predicament.  Let  me  see  what  I  can 
do,"  I  said. 

This  was  at  the  Tacoma  Hotel.  You  remember  I 
told  you  I  was  side-tracked  to  success.  Well,  I  was 
down  in  the  office,  deliberating  whom  to  draw  on,  when 
Gen.  Curry,  who  was  sitting  on  the  other  side  of  the 
office,  called  to  me  and  said, "  They  say  you  are  making 
things  howl  up  in  Fairhaven  ;  a  whole  boat-load  of 
buyers  from  Spokane  went  up  to-night.  Say,  can't  you 
put  me  on  ?  Here;"  and  handing  me  a  crisp  yellow 
bank-bill,  value  $500,  he  said,  "  Put  this  where  it  will 
do  the  best." 

As  I  owned  the  best  lots  in  town  I  soothed  my  con- 
science by  right  then  and  there  picking  out  in  my  mind 
a  couple  for  him.  I  returned  to  the  waiting  wife, 
showed  her  that  "  sweet  $500- William,"  and,  in  answer 
to  her  wondering  question,  said,  "  A  bird  flew  in  at  the 
window  with  it."  Most  peculiar  and  best  of  women  :  if 
you  did  not  believe  it,  you  certainly  showed  no  evidence 
of  doubt. 

Gen.  Curry  had  no  cause  to  regret  his  investment. 
In  San  Francisco  I  learned  that  realty  in  Fairhaven 
was  jumping  to  "beat  the  band,"  and  back  I  went  and 
took  a  new  hold.  I  made  $60,000  clean  in  cash  in  sixty 
days,  and  bought  a  coal  prospect  and  named  it  the 
Blue  Canon  Coal  Mine  ;  then  I  formed  a  company,  of 
which  I  was  president,  and  issued  500,000  shares  of 
stock,  and  incorporated  the  Marble  Creek  Marble  Com- 


Fair  haven,  Washington.  91 

pany,    capital  stock,  $100,000,  of  which  company  I  was 
vice-president. 

In  connection  with  my  Fairhaven  experience,  the  fol- 
lowing letter  is  self-explanatory  : 

Fairhaven,  Dec.  i,  1891. 

Captain  J.  R.  Matthews  and  Members  of  Wardner  Hose 
Co.  No.  2. 

My  Dear  Friends  :  Permit  me  to  thank  you  for  an 
eleg-antly  framed  photograph  showing  all  the  members 
of  "your  splendid  company.  I  feel  that  I  do  not  deserve 
the  compliment  that  you  bestowed  upon  me  when  you 
christened  the  company,  and  this  further  testimonial  of 
your  regard  ;  and  I  more  fully  appreciate  these  honors 
when  I  consult  the  record  of  your  meritorious  conduct 
since  your  organization.  You  need  no  other  testimoni- 
als of  your  gallantry  and  vigilance  than  the  silent,  black 
and  charred  wrecks  that  might  have  been  the  starters 
of  a  great  conflagration.  I  trust  that  you  will  keep  up 
your  strength  in  numbers  and  continue  to  protect  our 
imperial  city.  Pay  no  attention  to  adverse  criticism.  A 
volunteer  fire  company  is  and  always  has  been  the  em- 
bodiment of  all  that  is  brave  and  unselfish. 

Hoping  in  the  near  future  to  be  able  to  show  my  ap- 
preciation in  a  more  substantial  manner,  I  remain,  boys, 
your  friend,  J.  F.  Wardner. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

MY    CAT    RANCH. 

Then  I  started  my  cat  ranch.  Much  has  been  said 
and  much  has  been  written  about  my  celebrated  cat 
ranch,  located  on  an  island  about  six  miles  from  Fair- 
haven,  Washington.  So  many  bright  writers  have  been 
there,  and  have  seen  my  novel  experiment  and  specula- 
tion, that  I  will  let  them  tell  the  story  themselves.  I 
must,  however,  remark  that,  although  the  product  did 
not  equal  my  anticipation,  I  cannot  blame  Mr.  Samuel 
Weller,  of  Cincinnati,  who  was  my  sole  manager  and 
purveyor  to  the  cats.  "  This  gentleman  was  a  cat  man, 
and  his  father  was  a  cat  man  before  him."  If  he  finally 
erred  in  judgment  it  was  from  excessive  zeal,  and  I 
forgive  him.  Now,  as  all  my  visitors,  like  my  cats,  had 
tales,  let  us  listen  a  bit : 

From  the  New  York  Tribune  : 

"  BLACK  CATS  FOR  PROFIT. 

"  A  new  industry  is  always  interesting.  And  it  is  es- 
pecially attractive  if  it  shows  great  possibilities  and 
hints  of  perhaps  becoming  a  source  of  national  wealth. 
There  comes  at  this  time  from  the  new  State  of  Wash- 
ington a  report  of  such  an  industry.  We  refer  to  the 
black-cat  ranch  just  established  at  Fairhaven  by  the 
Consolidated  Black  Cat  Company,  Limited. 

"  We  trust  that  our  readers  will  understand  that  the 
organization  of  this  company  is  a  fact.  Mr.  James  F. 
Wardner,  of  Fairhaven,  is  president.  The  names  of  the 
other  officers  are  not  given  in  the  San  Francisco  dis- 
patch which  brings  the  intelligence,  but  the  plan  and 
object  of  the  company  are  quite  fully  explained.  The 
company  has  bought  an  island  in  Puget  Sound,  and  is 


My  Cat  Ranch.  93 

already  taking  steps  to  secure  all  of  the  black  cats  in  the 
neighborhood.  Several  carloads  will  be  shipped  from 
San  Francisco  next  week.  The  cats  will  all  be  placed 
on  the  island  and  shelter  provided  for  them.  An  island 
is  selected  in  preference  to  the  mainland,  that  the  cats 
may  be  kept  separate  from  others  and  the  pure  black 
cat  propagated.  Men  will  be  employed  to  take  care  of 
the  cats  and  to  feed  them  regularly  three  times  a  day. 
They  will  live  mostly  on  fish  caught  in  the  surrounding 
waters,  so  the  expense  of  keeping  them  will  be  small. 
We  should  bear  in  mind  that  cats  are  extremely  fond  of 
fish  and  invariably  thrive  on  it.  During  the  day  the 
cats  will  wander  about  the  island,  sun  themselves  on  the 
rocks  or  lie  in  the  shade  of  the  trees,  as  the  condition  of 
the  weather  may  dictate.  An  hour  iDefore  sundown  the 
men  will  go  out  and  gradually  scat  them  into  their 
quarters.  The  natural  tendency  of  the  cat  is,  of  course, 
to  roam  about  at  night,  and  to  howl  in  a  heartrending 
key,  and  fight  others  of  its  species  with  great  vigor. 
This  undoubtedly  improves  both  the  voice  and  the  fight- 
ing qualities  of  the  animal,  but  as  the  Consolidated  Black 
Cat  Company  is  not  raising  its  cats  for  either  their  vocal 
or  belligerent  qualities,  it  is  thought  best  to  inclose  them 
at  night  if  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  does  not  interfere.  In  rounding  up  the  cats  at 
night  the  men  will  not  be  allowed  to  use  bootjacks  or 
other  missiles  usually  employed  in  the  treatment  of 
these  animals,  and  no  dog  will  be  allowed  on  the  island. 
"  Of  course  it  is  entirely  too  early  for  any  valuable 
speculation  as  to  the  probable  financial  success  of  the 
company.  After  it  has  placed  its  first  shipment  of  black 
cat-skins  on  the  market,  perhaps  some  definite  conclu- 
sion can  be  arrived  at  in  this  regard.  It  is  a  new  in- 
dustry, but  that  is  no  proof  that  it  may  not  be  a  brilliant 
success.  There  is  always  a  considerable  demand  for 
black  cat-skins  in  certain  parts  of  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas for  medical  use,  a  plaster  made  on  the  hide  side  of 
the  skin  of  a  black  cat  killed  in  the  dark  of  the  moon 
being  greatly  esteemed  by  many  local  practitioners,  but 
the  home  supply  probably  fully  meets  the  demand.  A 
general  demand  must  be  created.  In  some  respects 
the  time  seems  to  be  ripe  for  the  Consolidated  Black 
Cat  Company,  Limited." 


94  Jiw   Wardner. 

From  the  Sioux  City  Journal: 

"  A  company  was  org-anized  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$200,000,  and  an  island  of  about  1,000  acres  in  extent, 
located  in  Bellingham  Bay,  in  the  upper  part  of  Puget 
Sound,  was  obtained  to  carry  on  the  farming.  Then  a 
grand  skirmish  was  made  to  get  black  cats.  The  Pacific 
Coast  States  were  ransacked,  and  nearly  every  incoming- 
train  was  loaded  with  black  cats,  which  were  immedi- 
ately taken  to  the  island,  or  '  cat  factory,'  as  we  called 
it.  They  were  in  charge  of  a  number  of  men,  who 
furnished  food  by  seine-fishing  in  the  bay,  and  a 
certain  number  were  killed  during  the  year  to  pay 
current  expenses.  When  I  left,  a  good  black  cat's  pelt 
was  worth  $2,  and  the  company  was  making-  a  mint  of 
money. 

"  Cats'  fur  makes  up  elegantly  into  muffs  and  capes, 
and  I  see  they  are  beginning  to  be  quite  popular.  The 
pelts  that  are  spotted  are  colored  black,  and  sold  as  a 
cheap  grade.  There  is  going  to  be  plenty  of  money  in 
the  industry  for  Jim  Wardner  and  his  company,  and  I 
think  it  will  only  be  a  matter  of  a  short  time  until  other 
companies  are  formed  and  like  industries  established  on 
some  of  the  numerous  islands  in  the  Sound.  It  beats 
skunk  and  rattlesnake  farming  ten  to  one,  and  is  less 
disagreeable  and  much  more  profitable." 

From  Col.  W.  J.  Parkinson's  speech  in  Rochester 
before  the  New  York  Fur  Men's  Association  : 

"  Imagine  two  thousand  acres  of  land  devoted  en- 
tirely to  the  cultivation,  or  rearing,  of  cats  ;  black  cats, 
gray  cats,  tom  cats,  and  yellow  cats,  the  ten  thousand 
already  supposed  to  be  there  being  daily  added  to  by 
the  myriad  agents  Jim  has  constantly  in  the  field. 
Imagine  these  two  thousand  acres  cut  up  into  con- 
venient divisions,  with  drying  sheds  and  barns,  meat 
and  slaughter  houses,  grass  and  sand  lots,  for  these 
feline  pets  to  whisk  about  in.  Every  thirty  days,  or 
each  month  in  the  year,  five  hundred  of  these  cats  are 
presumed  to  be  killed,  and  their  hides  hung  up  to  dry,  or 
got  ready  otherwise  for  the  market.  In  no  other  place  in 
the  world  is  another  such  industry  to  be  found;  and  the 


My  Cat  Ranch.  95 

interesting  part  of  the  whole  business  is,  how,  when 
your  expert  fur  dealers  from  the  East  send  their 
agents  out  through  the  Northwest  for  skins  of  various 
kinds,  you  pick  up  bale  after  bale  of  Jim  Wardner's  cat- 
skins  at  different  points  along  the  coast,  and  when  they 
reach  you  and  your  customers  they  become  known  as 
'hood  seals.'     (Laughter.) 

"  Of  course,  not  being  an  expert,  I  know  nothing 
about  this  part  of  the  trade,  but  I  never  visit  Puget 
Sound  without  going  to  Jim  Wardner's  cat  ranch.  You 
will  find  Jim  a  most  genial  fellow,  the  head  of  a  delight- 
ful family,  and  always  enthusiastic  over  this  pet  project 
of  his  life — his  cat  ranch.  You  who  are  in  the  fur  trade 
should  write  to  him,  as  it  may  be  for  your  interests  to 
do  so.  His  address  is  *  Jim  Wardner,  Fairhaven,  Wash- 
ington, care  Wardner's  cat  ranch.'  " 


From  the  Glasgow  Herald  : 

"  There  is  an  island  in  Bellingham  Bay  where  a  local 
statute  forever  enjoins  all  residents  and  casual  visitors 
from  exclaiming  'rats!' — not  that  any  one  having  the 
least  regard  for  the  amenities  of  good  society  or  the 
refinements  of  polite  conversation  would  ever  be  guilty 
of  uttering  an  expression  so  uncouth,  but,  perhaps,  the 
statute  is  framed  solely  as  a  means  of  self-protection, 
and  as  a  means  of  preventing  a  riotous  outbreak  among 
the  colonists. 

"  A  thousand  black  cats,  and  every  one  of  them  as 
black  as  fabled  Erebus  !  Enough  to  supply  all  the  old 
hags  and  beldames  who  have  bestrode  broomsticks  and 
whirled  dizzily  around  in  the  wild  dances  of  '  Walpurgis 
Night '  or  at  the  diabolical  orgies  of  the  '  Witches'  Sab- 
bath,' with  Satanic  companions  into  which  to  transform 
themselves,  upon  occasion,  from  the  days  of  the  old 
woman  at  Endor  to  those  of  the  prophetess  of  the 
Seattle  fire. 

"  Some  dozen  or  more  men  are  said  to  be  now  em- 
ployed in  caring  for  these  imps  of  darkness  ;  and  the  in- 
closure  which  confines  them — the  imps,  not  the  men — 
is  of  large  extent,  covering  nearly  as  much  ground  as  a 
Seattle  block." 


96  Jim  Wardner. 

From  the  Seattle  Times  : 

"BLACK  CAT  COMPANY  SELLS  ITS  RANCH, 

"We  are  reliably  informed  by  Mr.  Samuel  Weller, 
late  general  manager  and  purveyor  to  Wardner's  black 
cats,  that  the  vicious  and  cannibalistic  experiment  of 
putting  cat  into  cat  by  means  of  soup  resulted  dis- 
astrously to  the  cats.  He  says  that  Mr.  Wardner's  idea 
of  an  endless  chain  won't  work  in  this  industry.  He 
says  that  any  company  can  make  a  conservative  profit 
raising  black  cats  on  fish  and  selling  their  hides  only, 
but  to  use  these  cats  as  an  article  of  food  for  one  an- 
other is  avarice,  and  promotes  cannibalism, 

"  Good-bye,  Mr.  Weller  !  Good-bye  to  you  !  Good- 
bye to  the  cats  forever.  In  good  Latin,  '  Scat,  get  out 
in  peace  ! '  " 

After  Mr.  Weller  had  taken  up  the  cat  man's  burden 
and  I  had  sloughed  off  the  trials  and  tribulations  of  a 
constantly  increasing  cat  business,  I  found  time  to  pros- 
pect a  little.  It  was  on  one  of  these  tours  into  the  great 
Cascade  range  of  Washington  that  I,  as  recounted  in  the 
following  chapter,  met  one  of  my  most  interesting  ex- 
periences. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


It  was  a  dark,  cold,  dreary  day  in  November  when  I 
pulled  my  horse  up,  tired,  muddy  and  wet,  at  the  foot  of 
one  of  the  great  glaciers  in  the  Cascade  district  of 
Washington.  I  saw  to  my  right  a  pine-bark  shack, 
marked  in  letters  of  charcoal,  "  Hotel  de  Bum."  It  was 
composed  of  a  roof  and  one  side,  a  few  pine-boughs  in 
the  background,  and  several  old  blankets. 

Presently,  rushing  down  the  mountain,  and  singing  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  followed  by  his  partner,  came  the 
proprietor.  No  man  ever  received  a  heartier  welcome 
by  a  genial  landlord  than  myself.  After  registering  in 
his  diary,  he  discoursed  on  the  hardships  of  running  a 
hotel  in  that  coimtry  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  cooks, 
but,  as  an  offset,  he  spoke  of  the  cheapness  of  rent  and  ice. 

"  Supper  is  now  ready  in  the  dining-room,"  he  said  ; 
so,  after  furnishing  my  horse  with  a  substantial  meal  of 
oats,  which  I  carried  with  me,  we  three,  in  the  cold  rain, 
stood  around  that  rock  amidst  the  profuse  excuses  of  the 
proprietor  as  to  the  repairs  he  intended  to  make  in  the 
dining-room.  With  the  same  politeness  he  escorted  me 
to  room  one,  about  three  feet  of  space  next  to  the  end 
of  the  shack.  For  a  pillow  I  used  my  saddle,  with  the 
remaining  oats  to  soften  up  things.  I  had  been  asleep 
but  a  short  time  when  I  felt  the  oats  slipping  out  from 
under  my  head.  Quietly  lighting  my  candle,  I  saw  a 
huge  wood-rat  tiigging  away  on  the  sack.  Hastily 
seizing  my  boot,  I  made  a  crack  at  him,  only  to  miss  him 
and  awake  the  proprietor. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  No.  i  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Rats,"  I  replied. 


98  Jim  Wardner. 

"  You've  got  'em,"  said  he.  "  Now  go  to  sleep,  or  Til 
charge  you  extra  for  gas.     See  ? " 

Then  the  fun  began.  I  never  heard  such  a  rumpus. 
The  glaciers  above  us  roared  like  artillery  and  cracked 
with  mighty  noises  as  fissure  after  fissure  was  rent,  and 
they  scrunched  and  grated  and  pushed  themselves  down 
through  deep  beds  of  gravel  and  slush.  The  heavens 
were  red  with  electric  illuminations  going  on  on  high, 
and,  finally,  the  rain  came  down  as  never  before.  Lit^tle 
rivulets  from  the  mountain  soon  filled  the  trenches 
around  our  "  hotel,"  and  the  trickling  sensation  made 
me  aware  of  the  presence  of  water  around  me.  Light- 
ing the  candle,  I  found  that  the  water  was  coursing 
right  through  my  bed.  Just  then  I  heard  from  my 
landlord. 

"  Well,  what  the  h— 1  is  the  matter  now  with  No   i ' " 

"  Water,"  said  I  ;  "bed  full  of  it." 

"  Well,  you  told  me  you  wanted  an  outside  room  and 
a  bath,  and  you've  got  it.  Now,  d~n  you,  go  to 
sleep,  and  don't  wake  the  cook." 

I  soon  got  the  water  turned,  and  slept  soundly  until 
morning.  I  left  after  breakfast,  but  have  never  forgot- 
ten the  "  Hotel  de  Bum." 

Soon  after  this  incident,  I  spent  an  evening  in  the 
camp  of  my  old  friend  Jim  Sheehan,  now  the  noted 
politician  and  much-loved  citizen  of  Seattle,  and  here 
became  acquainted  for  the  first  time  with  a  gentleman 
in  whose  company  I  have  shared  many  happy  hours  ; 
but  notwithstanding  our  friendship  I  cannot  forbear,  for 
the  good  of  the  book  and  its  readers,  relating  what  hap- 
pened one  Christmas  eve.     It  was  like  this  : 

Gathered  around  a  social  table  in  Jim's  frumenti 
sanctum  were  a  few  of  us  that  are  left.  I  will  say  here 
that  Jim's  generosity  was  proverbial,  and  on  this  Christ- 
rnas  eve,  filled  with  memories  of  the  blessed  occa- 
sion and  other  good  stuff,  Jim  had  been  unusually  gen- 
erous. One  of  us,  an  old  hack-driver  from  Philippi,  had 
nothing  to  give  Jim  for  his  Christmas  present  except  a 
ride  in  his  hack.     We  all  accepted  the  invitation  and 

started  to  high  mass  at  Father  J 's  church.    Into  the 

church  we  stalked  all  together,  and  Mr.  Jehu,  whip  in 
hand.  The  celebration  was  proceeding  with  all  the 
pomp  and  glory  of  the  occasion.    The  worthy  bishop, 


''Hotel  de  Bum:'  99 

gorgeously  robed  priests  and  numberless  acolytes,  sweet 
incense,  and  the  tones  of  the  great  organ  bewildered 
and  confused  the  donor  of  our  ride.  We  were  filled 
with  awe  and  admiration. 

"  Be  gad,  Jim,"  said  he,  "  this  beats  h— 1  !  " 
"That's  the  intintion,"  answered  Jim  with  great  em- 
phasis, and  then — well,  none  of  us  waited  for  the  bene- 
diction. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
"going  to  'tay  all  night?" 

From  what  I  have  thus  far  related  of  my  career  it 
may  be  inferred  that  I  have  ever  been  somewhat  of  a 
wanderer,  and  a  domestic  man  only  spasmodically.  This 
was  particularly  true  of  me  at  this  time  of  my  life  when 
things  were  coming- my  way  and  I  was  kept  on  the  jump 
to  prevent  their  going  in  an  opposite  direction. 

I  must  tell  you  the  story  of  "  Little  'Tay  All  Night." 
It  happened  in  Fairhaven.  I  had  been  absent  from 
home  about  two  months  in  the  mines  of  British  Colum- 
bia. My  little  three-year-old  girl,  who  was  always  first 
to  meet  and  greet  me,  and  who  had  pressed  her  nose 
on  the  window  pane  for  weeks,  rushed  to  me  with 
outspread  arms  and  laughing  big  blue  eyes.  "  Hello, 
Muggins,"  said  I.  "  Hello,  Dim,"  said  she  ;  "  going  to 
'tay  all  night?" 

She  is  older  now,  and  a  romancer  from  'way  back.  She 
seems  to  be  sailing  around  in  an  ethereal  sea  of  happi- 
ness. She  is  the  choicest  diamond  in  the  cluster,  but 
she  will  romance.  The  other  day  I  said,  "  Come  here, 
Old  Smoothy.  They  tell  me  you  fib  a  little."  She 
answered,  "  It  ain't  right  to  fib,  is  it  ?  People  won't  go 
to  Heaven  that  fib,  will  they  ? "  I  said,  "  No,  they 
won't." 

After  hesitating  a  full  minute,  she  said,  with  a  toss  of 
her  head,  "  I  don't  care,  anyway  ;  I'll  go  where  you  do," 
and  away  she  scampered,  leaving  me  in  a  dead  reverie. 

But  the  kids  got  it  on  me  one  day.  I  was  about  to 
take  the  eight  o'clock  train  for  Chicago.  They  repeat- 
edly warned  me  that  I  would  get  left,  and  I  had  replied, 
"  It's  a  cold  day,  kids,  when  the  old  man  gets  left."  I 
reached  the  station  in  time  to  see  only  the  stern  of  that 
train,  and  wended  my  way  homeward. 


"  Going  to  '  Tay  All  Night  f  "  loi 

It  was  a  beautiful  warm  day  in  August,  but  those  ev- 
erlasting kids  had  hastily  built  a  fire  in  the  fireplacv^, 
and  all  stood  with  shawls  and  cloaks  and  hoods  on, 
shivering  around  that  fire.  I  said,  "  What  in  the  world 
is  the  matter  with  you,  kids  ?  "  That's  all  they  wanted. 
Back  came  the  chorus,  "  You  said  it's  a  cold  day  when 
the  old  man  gets  left.  It  must  be  awful  cold.  Oh  ! 
we're  freezing,  we're  freezing  !  " 

The  adage  is  not  a  good  one,  as  I  have  been  left  other 
ways  in  all  kinds  of  weather. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE    BLUE    CANON    COAL    MINE. 

As  an  example  of  the  fact  that  I  was  fairly  in  the 
swim  and  could  not  avoid  the  prosperity  that  was  forced 
upon  me,  I  will  relate  a  little  item  of  the  Blue  Canon 
coal  mine. 

This  coal  mine  is  located  about  eight  miles  from  Fair- 
laaven.  One  day  in  the  fall  of  1890  my  attention  was 
called  to  a  coal  prospect  that  had  long-  lain  idle  in  the 
vicinity  mentioned.  I  had  repeatedly  told  Mr.  Gove 
that  I  did  not  want  anything  to  do  with  the  coal  mine. 
It  w^as  too  much  like  legitimate  business  ;  yet  owing  to 
his  persistent  endeavors  I  visited  the  prospect.  No 
name  had  been  given  it ;  in  fact,  a  hole  in  the  side  of 
the  mountain  vv^ith  some  coal  in  the  opening  of  the  tun- 
nel and  none  on  the  face  of  it  was  all  there  was  to  show. 
In  a  moment  I  saw  the  fatal  error  of  the  prospectors 
who  had  done  this  preliminary  w^ork.  In  all  certainty 
the  fact  demonstrated  itself  that  the  first  vein  of  coal 
was  a  large  one,  and,  while  they  thought  it  was  hori- 
zontal or  flat,  everything  demonstrated  that  it  was  pitch- 
ing at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  that  they  had 
passed  over  the  coal-bed  and  were  breaking  into  the 
lianging  wall.  I  asked  how  much  this  property  could 
be  bought  for,  and  Mr.  Gove  said  $20,000  ;  "and,"  said 
he,  "  this  will  include  my  small  commissions." 

I  examined  the  records,  and  after  the  title  was  per- 
fected purchased  the  property.  I  developed  the  mine 
and  found  a  tremendous  bed  of  coal,  which  grew  better 
as  it  went  down.  In  fact,  to-day  I  think  it  is  the  best 
quality  of  coal  in  the  State  of  Washington.  I  put  steam- 
boats on  the  lake  to  connect  with  my  bull  teams  on  the 
land,  and  had  much  local  demand  for  the  coal.  At  the 
time  of  the  crash,  when  the  banks  were  trembling  and 
the  stocks  of  all  my  enterprises  had  absolutely  ceased  to 
be  of  any  collateral  value,  I  sold  my  coal  mine  in  this 


TJie  Blue  Canon  Coal  Mine.  103 

way  :  I  went  to  Helena  and  arranged  a  meeting  with 
the  following  gentlemen  :  Mr.  A.  J.  Seligman,  president 
of  the  American  National  Bank  ;  S.  T.  Hauser,  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Helena  ;  John  T.  Murphy, 
millionaire  merchant ;  E.  M.  Holter,  and  Martin  Holter, 
millionaire  hardware  men,  and  Peter  Larsen,  millionaire 
contractor.  I  told  them  of  the  value  of  the  coal  mine 
and  explained  to  them  how,  by  the  expenditure  of  more 
money,  vast  shipments  could  be  made  to  San  Francisco. 
I  told  them  I  would  sell  them  this  mine  without  one 
dollar  in  cash,  in  this  way  :  They  were  to  give  me  ten 
notes  of  $10,000  each,  with  interest  at  9  per  cent., 
payable  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  each  note  was  to 
have  the  signatures  of  all  the  individuals  mentioned. 
I  extended  to  them  an  invitation  to  visit  the  property, 
which  they  did,  and  they  were  greatly  surprised  at 
its  extent  and  character.  Here  was  a  bonanza  of  its 
kind  that  had  lain  still  for  ages. 

Well,  they  took  the  mine  on  my  terms,  and  in  the 
evening  I  called  on  Mr.  Bernard  Goldsmith,  an  old  and 
estimable  friend  of  mine,  who  had  many  times  helped 
me  in  my  undertakings.  I  then  went  over  to  the  Na- 
tional Savings  Bank.  Mr.  Dekum,  the  president,  was 
present,  and  I  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  purchase  ten 
notes,  each  one  having  five  names  on  it,  and  every  name 
the  imprint  of  a  millionaire,  reported  as  such  in  Brad- 
street's  and  Dun's  Agencies.  He  answered :  "  Such 
paper  is  unusual ;  I  will  hold  a  meeting  of  the  directors 
and  give  you  an  answer  this  evening." 

In  the  morning  I  got  my  cash  and  wiped  out  many  ob- 
ligations and  really  saved  the  credit  of  two  banks  which 
were  tottering.  This  sale  was  made  in  '91.  The  mine 
has  never  ceased  to  be  a  good  producer,  and  to-day  the 
superior  quality  of  Blue  Canon  coal  is  known  all  over 
the  world.  Captain  Healey,  of  the  United  States  cutter 
Bear,  corroborates  the  testimony  of  my  old  friend,  Cap- 
tain Johnny  O'Brien,  who  is  now  on  the  steamer  Rosalie, 
as  to  the  extraordinary  qualities  of  Blue  Canon  coal. 
I  was  as  well  aware  as  any  one  that  when  I  parted  with 
that  treasury  of  black  diamonds  I  parted  with  a  fortune, 
but  necessity  is  an  overbearing  master  ;  compulsion  is 
its  weapon,  and  I  was  its  victim, 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

HE    WAS    FROM    EAGLE    CITY,    IDAHO. 

Speaking  of  being  a  victim  and  of  parting  with  for- 
tunes reminds  me  of  a  man  from  Eagle  City,  Idaho, 

(we  will  call  him  H ),  who  tried  to  separate  me  from 

some  of  my  hard-earned  dollars  by  working  the  follow- 
ing little  game  : 

It  was  in  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1891,  I  think, 
that  I  was  accosted  on  the  corner  of  Twenty-eighth 
street  and  Broadway  by  a  handsomely,  richly  and  fash- 
ionably dressed  man.  His  tile  was  the  latest,  his  collar 
was  the  highest  and  whitest,  and  his  gloves  too  smooth 
for  anything. 

He  said,  "  Good  morning,  Wardner." 

I  said,  "  Good  morning." 

"  Guess  you  don't  remember  me,  Jim — come  over  to 
Kirk's,  and  have  a  small  cold  bottle  of  fizz." 

Now,  there's  no  danger  that  I  won't  encounter  for 
my  share  of  a  "small  cold  bottle."  Over  we  went,  I 
trying  to  remember  that  face  and  those  "ratty"  eyes. 
He  looked  back  as  we  crossed  the  crowded  thorough- 
fare. .  I  had  him  ;  I  knew  him.  No  one  but  he  had  I 
ever  seen  who  carried  the  keen,  popping,  black,  lustrous 
eye  of  the  wood-rat. 

Once  in  Kirk's  and  seated,  he  said  :  "  Jim,  you  don't 
remember  me  ? " 

"  I  don't  think  I  do,"  I  said.  "  You  are  not  the  man 
who  had  that  savage  gun  fight  with  brave  old  Bill  Buz- 
zard ?  You  didn't  work  for  Childs,  with  a  low-cut  blue 
flannel  shirt,  in  '83,  selling  whiskey  at  two  bits  a  throw, 
in  Eagle,  Idaho  ?  You  were  not  one  of  the  party  that 
took  over  the  ponies  in  the  gulch,  the  ones  belonging 
to  Sweeney,  Eckert,  Hawkins  and  myself,  leaving  us 
with  nothing  to  pursue  on  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  am  the  man,"  he  said. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,"  I  said,  "  how  this  wonderful 
change  ?" 


He   Was  from  Eagle  City,  Idaho.  105 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  struck  a  little  luck  after  leaving- 
Eagle — drifted  down  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Money 
was  wonderfully  plenty  and  easy  to  get.  Finally  1  and 
my  partner,  Pratt,  got  a  concession  and  rented  an  old 
church.  Pratt  went  to  South  America,  got  Sarah  Bern- 
hardt, played  her  for  fourteen  days,  and  cleared  up 
$14,000  for  our  share."  (I  haye  since  heard  that  my 
friend  was  the  treasurer,  and  Pratt  got  nothing.) 

At  this  juncture,  and  while  a  second  bottle  was  being 
discussed,  another  "  beauty  "  entered  the  side  door  on 
Twenty- eighth  street.  At  once  he  was  introduced  to 
me  as  a  partner  from  Texas.  He  was  even  more  fas- 
tidiously gowned — in  fact,  these  two  "  lilies  of  the  val- 
ley "  reminded  me  of  the  psalm  :  "  They  toil  not,  neither 
do  they  spin  ;  but  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  finally,  "gentlemen,  what's  your  little 
game  now  ?" 

They  invited  me  to  meet  them  at  the  Albemarle  the 
next  day.  I  agreed  to  do  so.  I  told  Gov.  S.  T.  Hauser, 
and  he  in  turn  told  Phil  Thompson  and  Murat  Hal- 
stead,  and  all  were  interested.  We  all  took  lunch  to- 
gether at  Delmonico's,  and  a  royal  good  one  it  was.  We 
discussed  mines,  etc.,  and  I  related  with  vigor  the  value 
of  the  Freddie  Lee,  in  which  I  was  interested.     In  the 

course  of  the  day    I    gave  H my  card,   a  gaudy, 

gilded  affair  of  the  Fairhaven  National  Bank,  "J.  F. 
Wardner,  President."  This  was  all  they  asked.  I  was 
puzzled,  although  well  treated.  They  sailed  next  day 
on  the  Teutonic. 

In  due  time  there  came  a  letter  from  H to  me 

at  Fairhaven,  care  of  the  bank,  saying  that  he  had  sold 
the  Freddie  Lee  conditionally  to  Count  Pominsky  for 
$200,000,  which  was  more  than  I  asked  for  it ;  also  that 
he  had  drawn  on  me  for  $r,ooo,  pending  examination  of 
the  mine,  and  expenses  of  return  trip  to  America,  and 
that  the  Count  had  indorsed  the  draft  and  he  had 
cashed  it.  He  urged  me  to  be  ready  to  pay  the  draft,  as 
the  sale  was  certain. 

Sure  enough,  the  draft  came  along  for  collection  and 
was  returned,  and  I  have  never  heard  from  him  since. 
The  fellow  truly  worked  in  a  mysterious  way  his  won- 
ders to  perform. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

KASLO. 


My  next  venture  shows  how  I  like  to  do  business. 
Caution  and  conservatism  are  cards  I  never  played. 

"JAMES   F.  WARDNER   HAD   THE   NERVE. 


"his    purchase    of    $17,500    CREATED    A    BIG     FLUTTER. 


"Property  Has  Steadily  Advanced  Since  This  Sale  Was  Made, 
and  Now  Is  Worth  Three  Times  as  Much  as  on  That  Day, 
and  This  Without  Doubt  Will  Have  a  Wonderful  Effect 
in  the  Spring. 

"  We  have  long  since  become  convinced  that  there  is 
only  one  Jim  Wardner.  Not  only  is  he  a  man  of  ex- 
cellent judgment,  but  he  is  a  world-beater  for  nerve  in 
all  his  undertakings.  While  other  men  hesitate  and 
wonder,  he  advances  with  a  smile  of  perfect  confidence, 
and  is  indeed  a  master  spirit  of  energy  and  enterprise. 
Some  months  since,  when  real  estate  was  very  quiet, 
in  fact,  hardly  a  sale  in  a  week,  Wardner  coolly  pur- 
chased $17,500  worth  of  inside  property  from  the  Kaslo- 
Kootenay  Land  Company." 

So  said  the  Kaslo  Herald  in  January,  1892,  Kaslo 
was  then  as  brisk  and  sparkling  a  little  mining  town  as 
one  could  wish.  I  was  soon  interested  in  mines  and  real 
estate,  and  had  the  general  welfare  of  the  town  at 
heart.  I  also  owned  one-half  of  a  hotel.  How  I  got 
into  this  business  is  best  told  by  R.  H.  Kemp  in  his 
Kaslo  paper.     Here  it  is  : 

"FOUND   A   LOAFING    PLACE. 

"  To  show  the  prodigality  of  the  mining  fraternity,  the 
following  incident  is  given,  which  recently  happened  in 
Kalso : 


Kaslo.  107 

"  John  King  and  Jim  Wardner,  two  well-known  min- 
ing- princes,  met  on  Front  street.  One  asked  the  other,. 
'  Where  is  there  a  good  loafing  place  in  the -town?' 

*"  There  is  none,'  said  the  other. 

" '  Well,'  said  Mr.  King,  '  there  is  a  hotel  over  there 
that  has  no  liquor  license  ;  let's  go  and  buy  it.' 

"  '  Done,'  said  Wardner  ;  and  they  at  once  proceeded 
to  the  house  in  question. 

"  Finding  the  proprietor,  the  question  was  asked, 
'  How  much  do  you  want  for  this  ranch  ? ' 

" '  Five  thousand  dollars,'  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"  *  We'll  take  it,'  chorused  both  gentlemen. 

"  John  F.  Ward,  of  Nelson,  happening  to  be  in  town, 
and  being  an  old  friend  of  the  parties,  purchased  an 
interest  and  proceeded  to  Nelson,  where  a  license  was 
obtained  instanter.  On  his  return,  the  hotel  was  opened 
and  christened  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  Wine  flowed  like 
water  the  first  evening,  and,  the  writer  believes,  is  still 
pouring  in  quite  a  healthy  stream.  Jim  and  John  se- 
cured their  loafing  place,  but  they  have  plenty  of  com- 
pany." 

My  partner,  John  King,  is  one  of  Nature's  best.  He 
is  also  a  great  business  man.  He  is  the  author  of  that 
celebrated  axiom  :  "  Jim,  it  beats  all  how  business  keeps 
up."  It  happened  in  our  own  house.  The  receipts  at 
the  bar  had  reached  $46.  King  had  spent  $40  himself. 
He  and  I  always  paid  cash  at  the  bar  ;  first,  because  I 
did  not  want  King  to  sluice  in  the  whole  business,  and 
second,  to  set  a  moral  and  financial  example  to  our  mot- 
ley trade. 

One  night  along  came  E.G.  McMickin,  formerly  general 
passenger  agent  of  the  N.  A.  T.  & T.  Co., an d  the  smoothest 
railroad  man  in  the  country.  With  him  were  other  "just- 
came-to-look-the-country-over  "  people.  Some  of  Cor- 
bin's  railroad  gang  had  been  paid  off,  and  came  at  once- 
to  my  place.  Now,  it  happens  that  I  have  known  these 
"  terriers  "  all  over.  Where  a  new  railroad  is,  there  they 
are,  and  I,  too.     Here  is  what  happened  : 

After  showing  McMickin  the  sights  I  dropped  into 
my  place.  It  was  full  of  "  terriers,"  and  they  were  full 
of  our  "good  stuff."  The  smoke  was  thick.  Old 
clothes,  old  gum  boots,  and  old  men  did  not  give  the 
place  a  very  lilacky  perfume.     They  all  knew  me,  and 


io8  Jijn   Wardner. 

disputed  in  slangf  and  profanity  as  to  where  they  first 
met  me,  and  who  had  known  me  the  longest.  I  was 
liberal  with  them,  and  enjoyed  McMickin's  discomfiture. 
He  did  not  understand  at  once  their  endearing  epithets. 
Finally,  one  big  "  Mick,"  who  had  been  drinking  until 
he  had  reached  the  crying  mood,  put  his  arms  around 
my  neck,  and,  with  broken  voice  and  tearful,  streaming 
eyes,  said,  "Good-bye,  Jim  ;  we'll  plant  flowers  on  your 
grave.  Won't  we,  Dennis?"  Dennis  slobbered  out, 
"We  will  that."  I  said,  "Where  are  you  going  to  get 
the  flowers,  Micky,  in  this  snowy  country  ?  "  He  said, 
"Jim,  5'e  know  well,  ye  do,  thim  beautiful  flowers  of 
the  mountains  ;  thim  tender  crocuses  that  do  be  follow- 
ing the  melting  snow,  blooming  all  the  time  from  lower 
to  higher  ;  'tis  thim  tender  flowers  we'll  bring,  won't  we, 
Dennis?" 

McMickin  and  I  went  out  into  the  clear,  cold,  healthy, 
ozoned  atmosphere.  He  said  nothing.  I  only  thought, 
and  thought  this  :  Is  this  sincerity,  is  this  truth,  is  this 
eloqi:ence  ?  Yes ;  for  I  bethought  me  of  the  noble 
tribute  of  R.  H.  Kemp  in  a  Spokane  paper,  in  1888.  It 
was  at  Nelson,  B.  C: 

"  After  nightfall,  when  the  pale  moon  had  risen  and 
the  camp-fires  were  brilliantly  burning,  there  was  much 
speculation  among  the  groups  around  the  fires  as  to 
what  the  visit  of  Jim  Wardner  portended.  One  party 
said,  '  I  am  not  rich,  but  I  can  rustle,  and  I  would  will- 
ingly give  $r,ooo  if  Jim  Wardner  would  take  hold  in 
this  camp.'  Another  spoke  up  and  said,  '  I  am  only  a 
laboring  man.  I  have  no  means;  but  I  would  willingly 
work  thirty  days,  ten  hours  each  day,  if  Jim  Wardner 
would  decide  to  stay  here.'  Such  were  the  expressed 
opinions  of  a  number.  They  appeared  to  look  upon  Mr, 
Wardner  as  a  leader  where  life  and  energy  were  re- 
quired, and  the  writer  thought,  as  he  wended  his  way 
to  the  cabin  on  the  river  bank,  where  he  slept :  '  Jim 
Wardner  may  be  a  prince  among  his  fellow  men,  but  he 
is  a  king  among  the  miners.'  " 

This  is  beautiful  and  from  a  talented  pen,  but  not  so 
poetic,  I  think,  as  the  pathos  of  "  Micky  Free." 

Speaking  of  R,  H.  Kemp,  he  is  a  glorious  fellow, 
medium  stature,  built  like  an  athlete,  and  complete  in 
every  particular  regarding  his  anatomy  except  that  he 


Kaslo.  109 

is  minus  one  eye.  For  this,  Kemp  has  substituted  one 
of  glass;  not  exactly  the  same  size  and  color  as  its  pred- 
ecessor, but  still  one  that  serves  its  purpose,  which 
is  mainly  to  keep  out  the  cold  and  prevent  ear-ache. 

It  happened  that  during  our  wanderings  in  the  wild 
west  Kootenays,  we  ran  into  an  Indian  village,  and  as  it 
became  very  cold  we  ducked  into  the  first  big  tepee  we 
came  to.  There  we  found,  sitting  around  the  fire,  what 
seemed  to  be  all  the  belles  of  the  village.  His  Royal 
Highness  Kemp  at  once  made  himself  as  pleasant  and 
popular  as  possible,  and  as  he  could  talk  Siwash  like  a 
native,  the  surroundings  soon  became  very  much  like 
a  Wednesday  afternoon  hen-party.  Everything  went 
well  for  some  tim.e,  when  a  certain  uneasiness  began  to 
be  manifest  among  the  belles.  All  of  a  sudden,  from 
low  mutterings  of  surprise,  there  arose  the  frightened 
scream  of  the  Siwash  maidens,  and  had  a  mouse  run  up 
their  trousers,  they  could  not  have  jumped  higher  or 
screamed  louder,  and  out  they  all  went,  through  and 
under  the  tepee. 

The  cause  of  the  trouble  was  this  :  There  sat  Kemp 
with  his  second-hand  glass  eye  in  his  hand  and  the  most 
curious  expression  gleaming  from  the  live  eye  that  I 
ever  saw  before  or  since.  The  fact  was  that,  at  inter- 
vals, he  had  scooped  that  glass  eye  out  of  its  socket,  to 
the  wonder  and  astonishment  of  those  guileless  girls  of 
the  Kootenays,  until  they  fled  from  what  they  supposed 
was  a  supernatural  being. 

One  of  the  celebrities  in  Kaslo  was  "  Tough  Nut 
Jack."  He  was  once  in  a  poker  game  in  that  town. 
There  were  four  in  the  game,  and  one  of  the  men  had 
lost  one  eye.  Jack  became  suspicious,  and  finally  be- 
came sure  that  something  wrong  was  going  on,  and  soon 
located  the  sinner.  Jack  stopped  the  game,  laid  his  gun 
deliberately  on  the  table,  and  said  : 

"  I  don't  want  to  tro  out  any  insinuations  or  hurt  any- 
body's feelin's,  but  by if  this  monkey  business  don't 

stop  I'll  shoot  that  feller's  other  eye  out." 

Here  is  what  the  Montreal  Star  writes  about  "  Tough 
Nut  Jack  "  : 

"  It  was  in  1876  that  Mr.  Wardner  first  met  *  Tough 
Nut  Jack.'  This  was  in  the  Black  Hills.  There  were 
in   the  Hills  many  original  characters,  about  each  of 


no  Jim   Wardner. 

whom  he  can  tell  entrancing  stories — 'Calamity  Jane,' 
'  Bronco  Nell '  (two  female  prospectors),  *  Pancake  Joe,' 
'  Billy  Goose-Eye,'  '  Eat  'Em  Up"  Jake,'  '  Big-Nose  Char- 
ley,' '  Kettle-Belly  Brown,'  '  Shorty  Clemens,'  '  Scar- 
Faced  Charlie  '  and  about  a  dozen  of  '  Wild  Bills.' 

"  All  these  played  their  parts.  Many  of  them  are 
gone  to  their  last  account.  *  Tough  Nut  Jack'  survives. 
He  is  a  unique  character,  an  Irishman,  of  a  roving  dis- 
position, who  had  extraordinary  luck  in  prospecting,  who 
made  money  as  easy  as  winking,  but  who  spent  it  as  it 
came  to  him.  He  had  been  in  Utah,  and  it  was  there 
Mr.  Wardner  met  him.  He  drifted  to  Colorado,  and  it 
was  there  he  struck  it  rich.  He  struck  a  mine  there 
which  realized,  for  his  share  of  it,  over  $100,000. 

"  And  it  did  him  no  good  at  all  ;  only  harm.  He 
drank  it  ;  he  gambled  it  ;  it  went  like  the  wind.  But 
*  Tough  Nut  Jack  '  was  a  warm-hearted  fellow.  *  He 
and  I  were  great  chums,'  said  Mr.  Wardner.  *  The  mine, 
you  know,  was  called  "  Tough-Nut."  That  is  how  they 
called  him  "  Tough  Nut  Jack." 

"'  We  parted,  and  I  never  expected  to  see  him  again. 
In  1892  I  was  away  back  of  the  McLaren  mine,  about 
fifty  miles  from  Rossland.  Night  came  on.  There  was 
snow  on  the  ground.  I  was  cold  and  hungry.  I  thought 
to  myself  that  I  was  in  rather  a  bad  pickle,  when  I  dis- 
cerned a  light  in  the  distance,  along  a  hillside.  I  went 
forward  ;  saw  a  little  tent ;  noticed  a  glimmering  light. 

" '  Is  there  anybody  within  ?'  I  hollered. 

"  'You  bet  your  life  there  is,'  came  back  the  hearty 
cry. 

"  '  Who's  there  ? ' 

" '  Tough  Nut  Jack.' 

"<Why ' 

"'Tough  Nut  Jack'  came  out,  holding  his-  bit  of  a 
candle  in  his  hand,  and  there  was  such  a  meeting  as  you 
could  not  imagine.  He  set  up  the  Irish  howl  or  cry  of 
welcome. 

"  '  Are  you  hungry  or  thirsty  ?  Come  right  in  and  I'll 
make  ye  a  bit  of  supper,  and  give  ye  a  bed  o'  British 
Columbia  feathers.' 

"  *  This  is  a  euphemism  for  pine  boughs,'  continued 
Mr.  Wardner, 

"  '  Well,  I  slept  there  with  him  on  the  boughs,  and  in 


Kaslo.  Ill 

the  morning  we  parted.  Not,  however,  before  he  prom- 
ised me  that  if  he  struck  it  rich  he  would  let  me  in  for 
a  good  thing,  for  the  sake  of  old  times.'  " 

Jack  kept  his  word.  I  left  him  in  Cape  Nome,  where 
he  has  amassed  immense  wealth  and  remembered  his 
old  partner. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


"SCOTTY. 


"  Scotty  "  ran  the  ranch  ;  that  is, ''  Scotty's  "  word  was 
law  at  the  little  log-  cabin  on  the  summit,  and  twenty 
miles  from  Kaslo,  where  Walker's  old  Canadian  and 
Seagram's  "old  stuff"  were  dispensed  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  crack. 

It  happened  that  "  the  Little  Minister  "  from  Nelson 
sent  word  that  he  would  preach  at  the  cabin  on  Sun- 
day. To  this  "  Scotty  "  objected,  and  objected  hard.  He 
talked  of  clergymen  and  Gospel  sharps  and  sky  pilots 
who  were  a  hoodoo  to  any  mining  camp  or  steamboat, 
but,  anyway,  "the  Little  Minister"  of  the  Church  of 
England  arrived.  The  first  thing  he  did  on  that  cold 
and  stormy  night  was  to  remove  his  outer  clothing  and 
ask  all  hands  to  have  a  drink.  This  suited  "  Scotty." 
In  the  morning  he  distributed  books  of  the  Episcopal 
service  and  song.  "  The  Little  Minister  "  preached  a 
really  good  sermon.  His  text  was  the  Prodigal  Son, 
most  apt  and  ably  handled.  But  "  Scotty  "  was  not  im- 
pressed. He  doubted  his  reception  should  he  return 
home,  and  told  me  confidentially  that  his  father  had  no 
fatted  calf. 

"The  Little  Minister"  returned  to  Nelson,  and  we 
often  talked  of  his  experiences — and  "  Scotty,"  poor 
"Scotty!"  soon  afterward,  confused  and  full  of  Cana- 
dian rye,  lay  down  to  sleep  one  night  on  the  snowy 
trail,  and  awoke,  I  hope,  to  meet  a  merciful  judgment 
from  Him  who  "  tempereth  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb," 
He  certainly  won't  be  hard  on  "  Scotty." 

Speaking  of  "Scotty"  McDougal,  it  happened  once 
in  the  spring  of  1888  I  was  riding  along  on  my  cayuse, 
well  packed  with  camp  kit  and  grub,  when  suddenly 
the  animal  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  colic,  and  was 
soon  down  in  the  muddy  trail,  groaning  and  grunting 
and  useless. 


''Scottyr  113 

Along  came  Mr.  "Scotty"  McDougal. 

"What  can  I  do  for  this  horse,  '  Scotty'  ? "  I  asked. 

"Run  quick  for  whiskey,"  said  he;  "and  spare  no 
time,  mon." 

With  all  speed  I  ran  to  a  neighboring-  road-house  and 
soon  returned,  breathless,  with  a  flask  of  Canadian  rye. 
I  handed  it  quickly  to  "  Scotty,"  who,  placing  the  flask 
to  his  lips  and  draining  every  drop  therefrom,  turned  to 
me  and  said,  slowly  slapping  himself  upon  the  breast,  with 
great  emphasis  :  "  There  will  be  cayuses,  broncos  and 
horses  until  the  end  of  the  world,  but  never  another 
'Scotty*  McDougal.     I  am  feeling  much  better." 

And  what  of  "the  Little  Minister''  who  so  nobly  per- 
formed in  snow  and  rain,  sunshine  and  shadow,  the 
duties  of  his  profession  ?  Oh,  he  naturally  tired  out.  A 
little  church  was  built,  but  after  a  hard  struggle  he  was 
compelled  to  close  it  and  leave.  Pathetically  taking 
leave  of  his  flock,  he  said  : 

"Brothers  and  sisters,  I  come  to  say  good-bye.  I 
don't  believe  God  loves  this  church,  because  none  of  you 
ever  die.  I  don't  think  you  love  each  other,  because  I 
never  marry  any  of  you.  I  don't  think  you  love  me, 
because  you  have  not  paid  me  my  salary.  Your  dona- 
tions are  mouldy  fruit  and  wormy  apples,  and  '  by  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them.'  Brothers,  I  am  going  to  a 
better  place.  I  have  been  called  to  be  chaplain  of  a 
penitentiary,  '  Where  I  go,  ye  cannot  now  come.  I  go 
to  prepare  a  place  for  you,'  and  'may  the  Lord  have 
mercy  on  your  souls  ! ' " 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

JOHN    TODD. 

Speaking  of  ministers,  there  was  John  Todd,  whom 
everybody  in  the  State  of  Washington  has  heard  of 
or  known.  Educated  for  the  ministry,  he  turned  out  a 
splendid  horseman.  He  knows  the  pedigree  of  every 
standard  and  thoroughbred  horse  on  both  sides  of  the 
ocean.  His  memory  passes  all  understanding.  He  has 
generally  succeeded,  but  when  he  tackled  the  "  Two 
Funny  Men  of  Washington  "  on  the  road,  as  eccentric- 
ities, or  laugh-promoters,  he  fell  down  flat. 

The  show  was  wretched,  and  the  wonder  to  me  always 
was  how  John  held  on  as  long  as  he  did.  It  was  at  the 
town  of  Spangle,  Washington.  Todd  had  advertised 
largely,  with  poor  results  at  the  box-office.  Some  few, 
however,  were  inside,  and  the  performance  had  com- 
menced, when  along  came  a  poor  little  girl  leading  a 
yellow  dog — never  did  a  prettier  little  girl  lead  a 
meaner-looking  dog.     She  said  to  Todd  : 

"  Mister,  how  much  is  it  ? " 

He  said,  "  Twenty-five  cents,  dearie." 

"  Haven't  got  it,"  she  lisped. 

Jokingly  he  said,  "  I'll  take  your  dog,  little  girl ; 
don't  miss  the  show." 

He  took  the  dog,  and  tied  it  up  in  the  office.  It 
wasn't  long,  however,  before  the  little  girl  looked  into 
the  box-office  and  up  into  Todd's  eyes,  saying  :  "  Mis- 
ter, please  give  me  back  my  dog."  This  was  the  last 
night  of  Todd's  enterprise. 

But  enough  of  other  people,  and  back  to  Jim  Ward- 
ner.  I  have  been  writing  about  some  of  my  friends, 
and  now  I  shall  let  one  of  mv  friends  write  about  me. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

a  tribute  from  fred.   w.  dunn.  * 

"  Searchlight,  Nev.,  Nov.  27,  1899. 
'^  Mf  Dear  Mrs.   Wardner  : 

"  I  own  to  being  tardy  in  writing  you  of  some  remi- 
niscences of  Jim's  life,asIpromised  himi  would  do  when 
I  met  him  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  several  months 
ago.  However,  in  hopes  they  are  not  too  late,  here  they 
are,  and  are  absolute  facts  : 

"  My  first  acquaintance  with  Jim  was  at  Spokane 
Falls,  Washington,  in  a  pool-room.  I  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  proprietor,  and  Jim  asked  me  to  in- 
troduce him,  which  I  did.  Jim  was  of  an  inquisitive 
turn  of  mind,  and  when  he  saw  forty  to  one  chalked  upon 
the  board,  he  said,  '  No  use  talking,  Dunn,  that  man 
will  bust.'  Well,  Jim  started  in  and  tried  forty  to  one, 
then  eight  to  one,  then  three  to  one,  and  on  the  last 
race  he  tried  one  to  five.  He  lost  about  $300  on  the 
first  four  races  and  won  ten  dollars  on  the  last  one, 
where  he  bet  fifty  dollars  to  win  ten  dollars.  After  he 
cashed  his  check  and  the  races  were  over,  he  came  to  me 
and  told  me  of  his  experience,  saying,  '  Well,  Dunn,  I 
thought  I  was  pretty  fly  in  figures,  but  that  bookmaker 
straightens  out  my  curves  and  I  am  all  right  now.' 

*'  Some  months  later  I  met  Jim  at  Fairhaven,  Wash- 
ington. He  had  run  up  against  one  of  his  streaks  of 
luck  and  was  president  of  a  bank,  president  of  the  club, 
and  president  of  a  number  of  things.  He  was  also  in- 
terested in  the  lumber  and  logging  business  on  Lake 
Whatcom.  He  invited  me  up  to  the  club,  where  we 
had  about  forty  drinks  of  the  club's  best,  and  viewed 
the  furniture,  etc.,  of  the  new  club-house,  which  would 
really  have  done  credit  to  any  club  in  America.  Of  course 
I  praised  everything.  Later  in  the  day  we  arrived  at 
Jim's  office,  where  he  had  a  number  of  specimens  of 


ii6  Jim   War  drier. 

g-alena  ore,  timber,  etc. ;  and,  as  I  presumed,  he  took  me 
for  a  capitalist.  He  began  to  advise  about  investments. 
I  was  only  a  railroad  superintendent,  of  course,  and  had 
no  money,  but  the  position  is  always  magnified  before 
the  public.  Poor  Jim  did  not  know  he  was  wasting  a 
whole  day,  and  club  whiskey  at  twenty-five  cents  per 
drink,  on  a  railway  superintendent  who  didn't  have 
four  dollars  in  the  bank  ;  but  I  saw  a  chance  for  a  joke 
and  played  it  out.  I  have  since  been  told  I  am  the 
only  man  who  ever  fooled  Jim  Wardner. 

"  Well,  he  began  to  tell  about  the  Boston  mine  in 
the  Cascade  Pass,  also  about  the  millions  to  be  made 
in  timber  floated  down  Lake  Whatcom,  and  lastly  about 
the  enormous  coal  deposits  in  the  country,  all  of  which 
I  was  much  interested  in  clear  up  to  the  close  of  the 
day.  Then  he  took  me  to  his  house,  gave  me  a  fine 
dinner,  showed  me  the  Shetland  ponies,  introduced  me 
to  the  principal  business  men  of  the  place,  and  finally 
drove  me  to  the  wharf,  where  1  took  the  Eastern  Ore- 
gon, a  boat  then  running  on  the  Sound,  for  Seattle. 
Just  as  I  was  going  up  the  gangplank,  Jim  dropped  on 
me  and  said,  '  Dunn,  I  believe  you  have  worked  me  for 
a  day's  good  time.'  *  Yes,' said  I, 'that's  what  I  came 
for,'  and  we  parted. 

"  I  little  knew  how  easily  Jim  would  get  even.  In 
a  week  he  came  to  my  office  in  Seattle,  and  began  to 
talk  about  the  millions  of  feet  of  lumber  and  logs  he 
had  in  Lake  Whatcom  ;  that  the  boats  were  trying  to 
cinch  him,  and  the  Fairhaven  road  could  not  get 
through  rates.  So  he  would  give  me  all  his  business 
if  I  could  arrange  to  handle  it.  Of  course,  I  was  all 
smiles,  and  showed  Wardner  the  town  of  Seattle.  Fi- 
nally, in  the  evening,  he  said  he  must  take  the  train 
home,  as  he  had  missed  the  boat,  but  he  disliked  to  incur 
the  expense,  because  he  had  passes  on  the  boat,  also  on 
the  Fairhaven  road  ;  but  as  his  wife  and  four  children 
were  with  him  it  would  be  cheaper  to  take  the  boat.  I 
thought  here  was  my  chance  to  cinch  the  lumber 
shipments,  and  told  my  clerk  to  make  out  a  pass  for 
Mr.  Wardner  and  family  for  the  balance  of  the  year. 
Jim  thanked  me  for  it,  but  on  December  31st  he  came 
again  in  the  office.     He  said  : 

*'  *  Dunn,  do  you  remember  how  you  worked  me  for  a 


A   Tribute  from  Fred.   W.  Dunn.  117 

day's  entertainment.'  I  laughed  and  really  felt  tickled, 
until  he  said,  '  Well,  the  work  was  like  that  40  to  i  shot 
in  Spokane.  I  haven't  shipped  a  pound  of  lumber  over 
your  road,  and  my  famil)^  think  it  the  best  road  in  the 
world,  as  they  have  ridden  for  six  months  for  nothing. 
Now  I  want  to  make  a  trade.  I'll  call  it  square  if  you 
give  me  a  family  pass  for  next  year.' 

"  I  saw  the  situation,  and  I  don't  think  Jim  paid  any 
fares  the  next  year. 

"  Some  months  later, when  the  Northern  Pacific  officials 
came  out  to  inspect  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  and  East- 
ern road  before  its  final  purchase,  I  met  Jim  at  Sedro, 
Washington.  He  was  with  Joe  McNaught,  a  brother  of 
Jim  McNaught,  then  the  general  solicitor  for  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway.  Those  were  mushroom  boom 
times,  and  a  mushroom  boom  was  on.  "Well,  Wardner 
was  a  great  man  in  those  days,  and  so  was  Joe 
McNaught.  We  on  the  special  train  had  our  business  to 
do.  Jim  Wardner,  always  on  hand  at  such  times,  was  also 
present  at  Sedro.  Joe  McNaught  and  Wardner  both 
got  anxious  to  get  back  to  Anacortes  to  catch  the  boat; 
but  it  was  twenty-three  miles,  and  there  was  no  engine. 
By  persuasion  of  Jim  McNaught  and  General  Man- 
ager Mellen,  I  agreed  to  let  our  engine  haul  them  to 
Anacortes.  The  track  on  the  Seattle  and  Northern 
from  Sedro  to  Anacortes  at  that  time  was  the  poorest 
track  in  the  world.  It  was  raining,  as  it  nearly  always 
does  up  there;  and  besides,  there  was  only  forty-six 
minutes  left  to  catch  the  boat,  and  our  engineer  had 
never  been  over  the  road,  and  so  knew  nothing  of  it.  I 
told  him  that  I  wanted  to  accommodate  the  gentlemen, 
but  it  would  be  folly  to  run  it  in  forty-six  minutes,  so 
to  go  ahead  and  run  it  in  about  one  hour  and  thirty 
minutes,  and  make  some  excuse  for  their  missing  the 
boat.  I  little  knew  Jim  Wardner.  Instead  of  getting 
into  my  private  car,  which  I  had  loaned  them,  he  got  on 
the  engine  with  a  box  of  cigars  and  a  bottle  of  whiskey. 
Little  knowing  his  own  danger,  he  told  the  engineer  I 
was  altogether  too  timid,  that  the  track  was  rough,  but 
it  was  caused  by  the  big  ties  laid,  which  made  it  too 
rigid;  that  he  knew,  because  his  Lake  Whatcom  timber 
made  the  ties,  and  that  they  were  all  12x14  and  ten 
feet  long.     At  any  rate,  the  engineer  turned  loose  and 


1 1 8  Jhn   Wardner. 

ran  that  twenty-three  miles  in  twenty-six  minutes.    How 
the  engine  and  car  stayed  on  the  track  that  dark  night 
I  don't  know.     Neither  does  any  other   railroad  man; 
but  they  did,  and  we  all  decided  it  was  Wardner's  luck. 
"  Some  months  later  I  had  quit  railroading  and  gone 
into  mining,  and  have  kept  at  it  since.     Wardner  and 
Mr.  H.  D.  Andrews  had  some  claims  up  in  British  Co- 
lumbia some  miles  north  of  Osooyoos  Lake,  in  Washing- 
ton.    I  was  operating  at  Loomiston,  Okanogan  county, 
Washington.     The  route  for  all  of  us  was  by  stage  from 
Coolie  City,  a  distance  of  120  miles.     On  one  occasion, 
in  the  winter,  when  the  stages  ran  on  runners  and  the 
mercury  was  about  25^  below  zero,  we  got  to  Columbia 
Citv,  on  the  Columbia  River.     Here  it  was  we   had  to 
ferry  over  and  then  follow  up  the  Okanogan  River  Val- 
ley.    Our    whiskey    had   given   out   some  miles  back, 
and  there  was  no  saloon  in  Columbia  City.    A  merchant, 
however,   had    some  rock    and   rye.     We    bought   six 
bottles    at    $2    each,    and    started    in    the    night    for 
Conconella.    Wardner  began  to  kick  about  the  quality 
of    the    whiskey.     He    did    not    object    to    the    rock 
candy,  but   did   object   to   the   liquor,  and   very   soon 
named   it '  Antediluvinarian.'     Well,  we   started   in  on 
'  Antediluvinarian,'  feeling  it  would  be  as  well   to   be 
killed  by  it  as  to  freeze,  and  we  drank  all  of  it  before 
we  arrived  at  Loomiston.     The  next  morning  Wardner 
insisted   on  saving  the  bottles,  and  when  we  arrived  at 
Loomiston  stored  them  away  in  my  office  at  the  Black 
Bear  mill.     In  about  ten  days  he  came  back  from  his 
mines  in  British  Columbia  and   called   for  the  bottles. 
He  had  secured  some  sort  of  a  Canadian  stamp  on  his 
journey,  and,  together  with  some  tin-foil  taken  from  plug- 
cut  tobacco,  he  was  able  to  reseal  the  bottles,  after  filling 
them  with  an  assortment  of  vinegar,  sugar,  stale  beer, 
absinthe,  Jamaica  ginger,  peppermint  and  Tabasco  sauce 
— all  mixed  together.     He  took  the  bottles  back  all 
filled    and    resold    them    to    the    merchant    for    fifty 
cents   above  their   original   cost,  assuring  him   it   was 
guaranteed  *  Antediluvinarian'  that   he   had  smuggled 
across  the  line,   and  that  he  was   doing   the    man    a 
favor  by  letting  him  have  it.     I  heard  of  the  splendid 
drink  for  several  weeks  being  dished  up  at  Columbia 
City  for  two  bits  (25  cents)  per  drink;  but  after  the 


A   Tribute  frovt  Fred.   W.  Dunn.  119 

stock  was  exhausted  no  one  was  ever  able  to  get  any 
more  like  it,  and  I  believe  this  celebrated  liquor  is  being 
talked  of  to-day  by  old-timers. 

"  On  one  occasion  I  was  going  from  Spokane  Falls  to 
Tacoma,  Washington.  On  the  sleeper  were  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Laughton,  Jim  Wardner,  and  myself,  occupy- 
ing a  state  room.  To  pass  the  time  away  we  got  to 
playing  a  game  of  hearts.  As  I  never  could  play  any 
game  of  cards  worth  a  cent,  I  was  the  victim  every 
game.  A  fine-looking  gentleman  came  into  the  room 
and  sat  down  on  the  sofa  to  watch  the  game.  Wardner 
and  Laughton  kept  joking  me,  saying  they  never  did 
see  a  Hoosier  who  could  play  anything,  anyway.  The 
stranger  evidently  took  pity  on  me,  and  said  he  was  a 
Hoosier  and  would  take  my  place.  As  we  were  only 
pla3nng  for  the  cigars,  Wardner  and  Laughton  acquiesced. 

"  They  went  at  it.  Well,  my  Hoosier  rescuer  fared  as 
badly  as  I  did.  He  lost  six  games  straight  and  quit,  at 
the  same  time  laughing  his  ill-luck  off  in  magnificent 
style,  so  that  he  was  pronounced  by  all  of  us  to  be  a 
jolly  good  fellow.  However,  he  and  I  were  both  igno- 
rant of  the  decks  of  cards.  It  seems  Wardner  and 
Laughton  had  put  up  a  job  on  me.  They  had  got  sev- 
eral decks  of  cards  and  taken  the  hearts  out  of  them 
and  fixed  up  a  game  for  me.  When  the  stranger  came 
into  the  game  they  could  not  explain,  and  had  to  go  on 
with  the  joke,  and  on  one  occasion  the  stranger  got  fif- 
teen hearts — two  more  than  there  are  in  a  deck.  He 
seemed  not  to  notice  it,  and  quit  the  game  chuckful  of 
fun.  He  proved  to  be  Clem  Studebaker,  of  the  cele- 
brated wagon  firm  of  Studebaker  Brothers,  of  South 
Bend,  Indiana.  I  never  knew  the  facts  until  some 
months  later,  when  Gov.  Laughton  told  me  of  the  joke. 

"I  shall  have  to  stop  writing  at  this  time  for  the  reason 
I  fear  I  shall  fill  the  entire  book.  Should  there  be  a  sec- 
ond edition,  however,  I  shall  be  glad  to  add  more  anec- 
dotes to  the  history  of  the  life  of  this  really  unique  man. 
One  side  of  his  nature  I  will,  however,  show  by  repeat- 
ing a  circumstance  which  occurred  in  San  Francisco. 

"  I  had  noticed  Wardner's  arrival  at  the  Lick  House. 
I  went  down  to  call  on  him,  and  he  seemed  to  be  the 
same  old  Jim,  In  fact,  no  one  can  tell  by  his  actions 
whether  he  is  worth  a  million  or  is  'broke.'     On  this 


I20  Ji'^tt   Wardner. 

occasion  I  asked  him  to  walk  out  with  me.  It  was  rain- 
ing, and  I  wanted  to  go  up  to  Kearney  street.  On  the 
corner  of  Kearney  and  Post  was  an  old  blind  man  grind- 
ing an  organ.  Jim  said,  *  Dunn,  that's  awful  tough  ! ' 
and  taking  from  his  pocket  a  dollar  he  threw  it  in  the 
tin  cup.  We  walked  around  on  Kearney  to  Market  and 
back  to  Montgomery  street  and  the  Lick  House,  when 
Jim  said  :  *  Dunn,  loan  me  a  dollar.  I  expect  a  remit- 
tance to-morrow  from  a  friend.  I  am  plumb  broke, 
having  given  my  last  dollar  to  the  blind  man.'  Of 
course,  Jim  got  the  dollar. 

"  In  him — notwithstanding  many  enemies,  which  every 
man  has  who  leads  an  active  life — I  can  see  the  loving 
father,  the  hospitable  gentleman,  the  true  friend,  and 
one  of  nature's  noblemen.  Notwithstanding  his  eccen- 
tricities, Jim  Wardner  is  a  person  no  one  who  knows 
him  well  can  fail  to  love. 

•'  Yours  respectfully, 

«'F.  W.  Dunn." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

MR.  NAPIER. 

Well,  we  had  all  been  having  a  joyous  time,  all  mak- 
ing' money  and  spending  it — then  came  '93.  This  book 
shall  not  be  a  hard-luck  story  in  any  particular,  so,  after 
selling  all  my  stock,  coal  mine,  carriages  and  horses, 
and  putting  all  this  money  into  the  banks  that  I  created, 
to  save  them,  I  sailed  for  South  Africa;  and  once  on 
the  broad  ocean,  away  from  "please  remits,"  drafts,  and 
over-due  notes,  the  worry  and  trouble  ceased,  and  in  its 
place  came  the  "  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding." 

Dear  old  "  Lunnon,"  and  Southampton,  and  the 
steamer  Scott !  On  this  steamer  I  met  the  funniest  lit- 
tle man,  with  the  plaidiest  and  cheekiest  of  suits.  His 
name  was  Napier.  He  told  me  that  he  and  Finerty 
had  for  twenty  years  hunted  elephants  in  Lobengula's 
domain,  and  that  he  had  been  to  the  Chicago  Exposition 
and  also  Milwaukee — "beautiful  Milwaukee!"  I  told 
him  that  I  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  and  leaning  against 
the  rail  of  that  magnificent  ocean  acrobat,  the  steamship 
Scott,  of  the  Union  line,  he  said  to  me  : 

"  Milwaukee  ?  This  is  a  beautiful  day  and  an  elegant 
ship." 

'*  Yes,  Mr.  Napier  ;  to  me  this  trip  means  everything 
— a  renewal  of  health,  vitality,  courage  and  ambition." 

"  Yes,"  mused  he,  "  ambition,  ambition  !  WilHs,  I 
think,  wrote,  '  How  like  a  mountain  devil  in  the  heart 
rules  this  unreined  Ambition.  Let  it  once  play  the  ty- 
rant and  its  brow  glows  with  a  beauty  which  bewilders 
thought  and  unthrones  peace  forever.'  "  Then,  after  a 
short  reverie,  he  said  to  me,  "  Milwaukee,  old  man, 
would  you  have  a  small  bottle  of  fizz  with  me?" 

He  said  this  with  an  accent  of  doubt.  You  see,  he 
hadn't  known  me  long.  I  accepted,  and  he  made  it  two 
bottles.     I  took  this  as  a  genuine  omen  of  coming  good 


122  Jitn  Wardner. 

luck.  Many  times  he  asked  me  to  join  him  in  a  cold 
bottle,  with  the  same  accent  of  doubt ! 

One  day,  after  another  invitation,  I  said :  "  Mr. 
Napier,  we  have  not  been  long  acquainted  ;  you  do  not 
know  me  very  well.  I  have  noticed  that  when  you  ask 
me  to  join  you  in  a  cold  bottle  there  has  been,  as  it  were, 
a  doubt  in  your  mind  as  to  my  acceptance.  This  has 
worried  me,  and  I  felt  that  you  did  not  know  me.  Let 
us  have  a  full  understanding.     Never  overlook  me." 

He  liked  this,  and  we  were  "  ever  after  friends."  In 
fact,  I  was  always  his  friend. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

AFRICA. 

After  fourteen  days  on  the  billowy  sea,  and  after 
stopping  at  the  beautiful  Madeiras,  waltzing  through 
the  Bay  of  Biscay,  gazing  at  night  upon  the  heavens, 
canopied  at  times  east,  west,  north,  and  south  with  rain- 
bows changeable  as  chameleons  and  with  hues  as  dis- 
tinct as  the  stripes  on  "  Old  Glory,"  bathing  in  the  de- 
licious waters  of  the  tropics,  and  standing  spellbound  for 
hours  wondering  at  the  magnificence  of  an  African  sun- 
set, we  arrived  at  Cape  Town,  November  13,  1893. 

Cape  Town — beautiful  white  city  of  the  southern  seas, 
city  of  cabs,  Kaffirs,  and  coffee,  city  of  gorgeously  attired 
Malay  girls,  with  heads  like  a  pin  and  bustles  like  a  bar- 
rel, England's  hospital  for  foundling  officers,  city  where 
the  sleepless  customs  oflficer  carefully  searches  your 
luggage  !     Here  is  my  experience: 

Customs  Officer — Read  that  notice. 

Black  Cat  Rancher  (after  reading) — All  right. 

C.  O. — Have  you  any  of  these  contraband  goods  in 
your  luggage  ? 

B.  C.  R  —No,  sir. 

C.  O. — Have  you  an)?-  extra  suits  of  clothes,  revolvers, 
watches,  tobacco,  jewelry  of  any  kind,  cigars,  guns, 
extra  underclothing,  medicine,  or  extra  smoking  to- 
bacco ? 

B.  C.  R.— No,  sir. 

C.  O. — Well,  well,  what  have  you  got  in  those  valises? 

B.  C.  R.— Nothing. 

C.  O. — Open  them  quick.    (Looks  in.)    D d  if  that 

ain't  correct.     Pass  him. 

When  the  great  ship  touched  the  African  dock,  the 
writer  was  the  first  ashore.  He  found  himself  amid  the 
cries  of  Kafifirs,  Malays,  Abyssinians,  who  talked  a 
mixed  jargon  not  understandable,  but  not  so  bad  indeed 


124  Jtm   Wardner. 

after  two  weeks  in  the  same  room  with  a  Dutchman, 
a  Lancashire  man  and  another  Englishman.  When 
old  England  teaches  her  sons  to  talk,  and  accepts  the 
decimal  system  of  coinage,  and  changes  the  present 
abominable  system  of  railway  carriages,  she  will  have 
made  another  step  toward  those  improvements  which,  I 
am  prouder  than  ever  to  know,  our  own  glorious  and 
intelligent  country  is  always  taking  the  lead  in. 

Cape  Town — progressive  and  prosperous,  beautiful 
beyond  anticipation,  thermometer  90  degrees,  breezy 
as  a  fan.  In  her  parks  a  thousand  Malay  and  Kaffir 
girls  trundling  a  thousand  richly  dressed  white  babies. 
At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  brass  band  alter- 
nating with  the  bagpipes  of  twelve  sturdy  Highlanders 
furnished  delightful  music. 

As  Cape  Town  was  not  my  final  destination,  and  as  I 
had  to  be  somewhere  on  the  unlucky  13th,  this  time 
thirteen  goes  for  naught.  Nine  p.  m.,  and  we  are  off 
amidst  the  hurrahs  of  hundreds  (the  arrival  and  de- 
parture of  the  Scoffs  passengers  is  a  marked  occur- 
rence) for  Johannesburg.  The  first  five  hundred  miles 
of  country  after  leaving  Cape  Town  resembles  very 
closely  the  sage-brush  lands  of  Nevada,  and  is  equally 
monotonous.  The  latter  part  of  the  journey,  however, 
carries  you  through  ostrich  farms,  millions  of  goats, 
sheep  and  oxen,  and  past  a  thousand  estates  of  surpass- 
ing beauty. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  i6th  we  open 
our  eyes  at  Elandfontein,  ten  miles  from  Johannesburg. 
What  a  sight  in  the  clear  cool  African  dawn  to  see  from 
the  pinnacle  through  the  pure  diamond-white  atmos- 
phere the  dumps  and  stacks  of  hundreds  of  mines  and 
mills  ;  the  passing  panorama,  as  we  sped  to  our  des- 
tination, of  thousands  of  naked  Kaffirs  going  hither  and 
thither,  night  shift  and  day  shift;  miles  of  ox  teams  with 
thousands  of  tons  of  merchandise  for  interior  distribu- 
tion ;  hundreds  of  mules  in  teams  of  from  four  to  six 
spans,  heavil)^  laden  ;  the  engines,  mills  and  machin- 
ery, whistling,  roaring  and  grumbling,  and  withal,  a 
matchless  African  morning,  for  on  God's  green  earth 
you  find  it  nowhere  more  perfect.  Away  in  the  dis- 
tance were  long  buildings  for  chlorination  and  longer 
ones  for  the  cyanide  process,  and  big  long  trains  of 


Africa.  125 

oxen  and  mules,  commencing-  at  the  initial  point  as  a 
reality  and  ending  like  an  animate  black  line  ten  miles 
away  down  the  broad  red  road. 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning-  of  November  i6th 
Johannesburg  was  reached,  and  here  comes  a  coinci- 
dence— the  gentleman  who  registered  before  me  at  the 
Grand  Central  Hotel  wrote  his  name  as  follows  :  "  E.  S. 
Hincks,  Whatcom,  Wash..  U.  S.  A."  Yes,  Teddy  left 
Whatcom  on  September  i6th,  took  in  Chicago,  left 
New  York  on  October  15th  on  the  Storm  King,  and 
arrived  in  Johannesburg  on  the  same  train  as  the  writer. 

During  my  sojourn  in  Africa  I  made  a  trip  to  Pretoria, 
the  beautiful  capital  city  of  the  Boer  Republic.  It  was 
my  luck  to  meet  President  Kriiger,  with  whom  I  had 
coffee.  Oom  Paul  is  very  like  the  pictures  we  have 
seen  of  him.  His  face  is  stamped  with  lines  of  deter- 
mination, but  I  found  him  very  pleasant  notwithstanding. 
He  said  to  me  : 

"  You  are  an  Englishman?" 

"  No,  Mr.  President."  I  replied,  "  I  came  from  a  coim- 
try  that  gained  its  independence  a  good  deal  the  same 
way  that  your  country  has  ;  I  am  an  American." 

"  Very  glad  to  see  you,  sir,"  he  remarked,  and  reach- 
ing under  the  table  he  picked  up  a  paper,  and  read  to 
me  that  Baron  Rothschild  had  said  that  the  Americans 
were  a  "Nation  of  Spendthrifts" 

I  told  him  that  I  had  kangarooed  all  over  the  world, 
and  that  I  was  not  up  on  our  national  finances  and 
internal  affairs,  but  being  aware  of  the  fact  that  the 
salary  of  his  Excellency,  presiding  over  two  millions  of 
people,  was  the  same  as  President  Cleveland's,  who 
presided  over  about  seventy  millions,  I  felt  that  the 
Baron's  "^^atement  was  not  right 

He  lauj,  :ed,  and,  pointing  to  four  gentlemen  ap- 
proaching, said  that  they  were  dynamiters  coming  to 
see  him. 

I  "  pulled  my  freight,"  and  while  passing  the  quartette 
I  found  that  they  were  a  committee  from  Johannesburg, 
on  a  mission  regarding  the  tax  rate  on  giant  powder,  or 
dynamite, 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

SOME     PERSONAL     OBSERVATIONS    ON     OUR    SOUTH    AFRICAN 

TRADE.     "' 

During  my  stay  in  Africa  there  was  one  thing  that 
particularly  attracted  my  attention,  and  that  was  the 
growing  popularity  in  the  Transvaal  of  Americans, 
American  ways  and  manners,  and  especially  of  Amer- 
ican goods.  Indeed,  I  was  so  impressed  with  this  fact 
that  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  Great  Britain's  ambition 
for  supremacy  in  South  Africa  may  have  for  one  of  its 
causes  a  knowledge  of  the  rapid  increase  of  our  South 
African  trade,  and  jealousy  of  us  on  that  account.  In 
an  address  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  upon 
my  return,  I  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  Washington,  D.  C,  February  26,  1894. 

"  To  THE  Congress  of  the  United  States  :  Will  you 
permit  me,  as  an  American  citizen,  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  my  country,  to  call  your  attention  to  a  few 
facts  and  figures  in  regard  to  the  increasing  trade  be- 
tween this  country  and  South  Africa  ?  Having  just  re- 
turned from  an  extended  trip  through  that  prosperous 
country  and  noted  with  pleasure  the  interest  taken  in 
matters  American  and  the  British  general  fear  and  ap- 
preciation of  our  rapid  innovations  into  their  most  profit- 
able territory,  I  submit  the  following  as  tersely  as 
possible : 

"The  total  British  exports  to  South  Africa  for  the 
first  nine  months  of  1893  were  six  million  four  hundred 
and  thirty-two  thousand  and  thirty-eight  pounds  ster- 
ling,  and  for  the  year,  over  forty  million  dollars.  The 
exports  for  October,  1893,  were  one  hundred  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  or  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  ex- 
cess of  October,  1892.  These  exports  cover  every  vari- 
ety of  manufactured  goods.  In  return,  Great  Britain 
received  from  South  Africa  in  gold,  silver,  diamonds, 


Personal  Observatio7is  on  Our  South  African  Trade.   127 

ivory,  wool,  hides,  ostrich  feathers,  etc.,  over  thirty 
million  dollars.  Now,  when  we  consider  that  over  75 
per  cent,  of  these  exports  and  imports  are  to  and  from 
the  South  African  Republic  and  Orange  Free  State,  as 
republican  and  anti-British  as  we  are,  or  should  be,  then 
certainly  the  inference  is,  we  should  cherish  and  en- 
courage mutual  trade  relations. 

"  I  quote  the  following  from  the  British  and  South 
African  Export  Gazette,  a  leading  commercial  paper  : 

" '  December  r,  1893. — The  increased  extent  to  which 
South  African  millers  are  using  American  wheat  this 
year  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  during  the  month  of  Octo- 
ber five  thousand  and  ninety  pounds  sterling,  and  dur- 
ing the  nine  months  fifty-six  thousand  and  sixty  pounds 
sterling,  were  dispatched,  as  against  only  ninety-two 
pounds  sterling  for  nine  months  of  1892.' 

"  Again,  the  same  paper  calls  attention  to  the  enor- 
mous increase  in  the  receipts  of  American  goods  at 
Cape  Town — flour,  oil,  beer,  and  all  kinds  of  agricul- 
tural implements,  cutlery,  and  manufactured  cottons 
making  up  the  bulk.  Of  the  six  million  dollars'  worth 
of  machinery  used  in  the  South  African  Republic,  over 
one-ha]f  was  manufactured  in  Chicago.  In  short,  the 
commercial  indications  are  great,  and  the  United  States 
should  point  with  pride  to  her,  commercial  relations 
with  Africa. 

*'  From  the  port  of  Mobile  are  now  dispatched  vessels 
laden  with  millions  of  feet  of  lumber  for  African  use, 
and  as  American  mining  managers  increase  in  Africa 
the  demand  for  American  goods  increases. 

"  While  at  the  Crown  Reef  Mine  I  saw  an  order  sent 
to  Philadelphia  for  eight  miles  of  iron  pipe,  and  I  know 
of  the  Primrose  Mine  sending  an  order  to  Puget  Sound 
for  one  million  feet  of  mining  timber. 

"  Two  lines  of  steamers,  forty  ships  in  all,  sail  from 
Southampton  to  Cape  Town.  Hamburg  also  has  a  Ger- 
man line  of  eight  boats.  There  has  just  started  an 
American-African  Line,  and  two  ships  have  been  dis- 
patched. Another  leaves  March  8th.  She  was  offered 
four  thousand  tons  of  freight  more  than  she  can  carry, 
and  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  line  will  be  increased. 

"  I  refer  to  Hon.  Watson  C.  Squire,  Hon.  Fred  Dubois, 
Governor  S.  T.  Hauser,  Hon.  Thomas  Power,  and  Hon. 


128  Jim   Wardner. 

John  L.  Wilson,  'as  to  my  responsibility,  and  a  reference 
by  you  to  the  American  Consuls  at  Cape  Town  and 
Johannesburg  will  verify  my  statement.  I  write  this 
simply  in  the  interest  of  American  trade." 

Later  statistics  have  verified  my  expectations  of  the 
growth  of  our  trade  with  South  Africa. 

In  the  years  '96  and  '97  exports  from  the  United  States 
to  Africa  amounted  to  over  seven  million  dollars 
and  in  '98  to  over  eight  million  dollars.  A  significant 
item  is  the  vast  increase  in  the  exportation  of  wheat. 
For  the  year  '93,  the  exports  of  wheat  amounted  to  a 
little  over  $350,000.  In  '96  they  had  increased  to  nearly 
$3,000,000,  in  '97  to  over  $3,600,000,  and  in  '98  to  nearly 
$6,000,000.  These  figures  do  not  include  manufactures 
of  wheat,  such  as  flour,  which  reaches  a  big  sum,  and 
other  breadstuffs,  barley,  for  instance,  which  in  1898 
amounted  to  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars. 
Oils,  agricultural  implements,  cars,  passenger  and 
freight,  tobacco,  cigars,  wood  and  manufactures  of 
wood,  furniture,  iron,  leather,  and  hog  and  beef  products 
are  important  ekports  and  show  a  gratifying  increase  in 
amount  and  value.  An  English  authority  states  that 
exports  from  the  iJnited  States  to  South  Africa  have 
quadrupled  i'n  the  past  ten  years. 

Thus  I  have  ever  found  that  Americans  "  can't  be 
beat." 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

ROSSLAND,    B,    C. 

On  my  return  from  Africa  in  1895  I  went  to  Kennedy, 
Nevada,  a  place  about  seventy  miles  from  Winnemucca, 
and  there  operated  what  at  first  promised  to  be  a  bonanza 
in  gold.  I  caused  to  be  built  for  the  owners  a  twenty- 
stamp  mill,  operated  it  successfully,  disposed  of  my  in- 
terest, and  went  to  California.  A  genius  in  Jackson, 
Amador  County,  named  George  G.  Gates,  had  invented 
and  was  working  successfully  a  machine  for  saving 
gold  from  low-grade  tailings.  His  income  with  one 
plant  at  the  Kennedy  mine  was  over  $3,000  per  month. 
I  purchased  of  him  certain  rights,  took  large  contracts 
from  the  Utica  and  Zeilla  mines,  and  formed  a  company 
in  Chicago,  of  which  Mr.  C.  G.  Betts  and  Samuel  Mc- 
Pherrin  were  active  members.  I  then  sold  my  stock 
and  struck  out  for  Rossland.B.C.  The  following  "Extra" 
from  the  Rossland  Miner  explains  my  first  deal,  on  which 
I  made  money  : 

"ROSSLAND  SOLD   OUT. 


**jiM  wardner's  syndicate  buys  every  unsold  lot. 


"THE  PRICE  IS  $176,000. 


"  Biggest  Real  Estate  Deal  in  the  History  of  Kootenay — Pur- 
chasers are  Montreal  Millionaires  and  C.  P.  Ry.  Officials — 
"Wardner  goes  East.      

*'  In  our  issue  of  last  week  we  stated  that  James  F. 
Wardner  had  organized  a  wealthy  syndicate  of  Montreal 
capitalists  to  invest  in  British  Columbia  mining  proper- 
ties. As  soon  as  he  returned  to  Rossland  he  began 
looking  up  a  proposition  for  his  people,  and  he  soon 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Mitier  has  long  held — 


1 30  Jim   Wardjier. 

namely,  that  the  town-site  of  Rossland  is  the  biggest 
gold  mine  of  them  all. 

"  Having  come  to  this  conclusion  Mr.  Wardner  set 
about  securing  an  option  on  all  the  unsold  lots  on  the 
town-site.  To-day  he  holds  an  agreement,  on  which  he 
has  made  the  first  payment,  to  deliver  to  him  842  lots 
for  the  lump  sum  of  $176,000. 

"  This  is  the  biggest  real  estate  deal  ever  made  in 
Kootenay.  Mr.  Wardner  leaves  for  Montreal  to-mor- 
row afternoon  at  two  o'clock. 

"As  is  well  known,  Mr.  Wardner's  syndicate  includes 
several  Montreal  millionaires  and  some  of  the  highest 
officers  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway." 

Rossland  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  camps  in  the 
world.  The  mines  of  that  district  have  been  success- 
fully productive  and  in  most  instances  reliable  and  re- 
munerative. Some  wonderful  sales  at  astounding  prices 
have  been  made.  The  Leroy,  Center  Star,  War  Eagle 
and  Josie  have  each  brought  to  the  owners  millions 
upon  millions. 

The  camp  of  Rossland  is  now  largely  in  the  hands  of 
Canadian  and  English  capitalists.  Its  railroad  facilities 
are  good,  and  taking  into  consideration  the  cheapness  of 
the  treatments  and  the  freight  I  do  not  think  there  is 
another  quartz  camp  on  this  hemisphere  that  has  made 
such  rapid  and  certain  strides  toward  a  great  success. 

Rossland  is  noted  everywhere  as  being  one  of  the 
most  peaceful  mining  camps.  Now,  would  you  have  a 
glimpse  of  how  law  and  order  were  maintained  in  Ross- 
land in  1896,  then  a  town  of  six  thousand  inhabitants, 
brought  together  from  wide  areas,  differing  in  their  dis- 
positions and  free  from  the  restraints  of  orderly  rela- 
tions ?     The  Montreal  Gazette  says  : 

"  Did  5^ou never  hear  tell  of  Jack  Kirkup  ?  He  stands 
six-feet-two  in  his  stockings.  He  is  built  in  proportion. 
He  has  a  resolute  eye  and  a  voice  which  there  is  no 
denying.  Jack  Kirkup  is  the  whole  machinery  of  the 
law  in  his  own  proper  person.  He  is  a  constable,  re- 
corder and  judge,  and  I  don't  know  what  else  besides. 
He  walks  the  street  with  a  quiet  air  of  authority  which 
every  man  respects.  If  any  miner  should  misbehave, 
Jack  takes  a  look  at  him  and  utters  one  word — '  Get ! ' 

"  That  man  crosses  the  boundary  at  once.    Jack  will 


Rossland,  B.  C.  131 

stand  no  fooling.  He  is  tolerant,  you  know,  as  all  big 
men  are,  and  he  does  not  mind  a  little  thing.  Thus,  if 
two  miners  have  a  little  quarrel  and  are  disposed  to 
fight  it  out,  he  will  referee  the  fight.  That  is  to  say  he 
will  see  fair  play.  And  at  a  given  moment  he  will 
say,  '  Stop  !  '  '  You,'  pointing  to  one  of  the  fighters, 
'have  got  licked.  Now,  be  friends,  and  go  to  your 
work.' 

*'  A  great  character  is  Jack,  No  nonsense.  It  is  true 
he  has  a  constable  to  help  a  little,  but  the  power 
lies  with  him  and  his  word  is  law.  He  allows  no  thugs 
or  ruffians  to  stay  in  the  district.  We  had  trouble 
once  with  a  lot  of  fellows  who  came  from  Coeur  d'Alene 
and  who  wanted  our  miners  to  form  a  combine  asfainst 
the  owners,  with  the  object  of  getting  higher  pay  and 
shorter  hours.  They  were  scalawags,  in  short,  and  the 
respectable  people  were  afraid  of  them,  so  a  deputation 
called  on  Jack  one  day  and  explained  the  circum- 
stances, '  I  tell  you  what  you  do,'  said  Jack.  '  Manage 
to  put  a  chalk-mark  on  the  backs  of  the  men  you  want 
out  of  this,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  there  will  not  be 
one  in  the  district.' 

"  The  mark  was  put  on  the  backs  of  the  most  obnox- 
ious characters,  and  Jack  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He 
cleared  them  out.  I  don't  know  how  he  did  it.  I  know 
they  left.  One  fellow  talked  about  its  being  a  free 
country,  and  such  like  nonsense, 

"  '  You  can  have  Kamloops  (the  jail,  you  know),  or 
you  can  have  freedom  in  the  United  States.  Choose 
quick.'     He  chose  the  land  of  liberty," 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THAT    RAILROAD    PASS. 

It  was  in  connection  with  my  promotion  of  the  big 
real-estate  deal  in  Rossland  that  the  following  incident 
occurred.  Mr.  George  McL.  Brown,  of  Vancouver,  B.  C, 
executive  agent  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad,  will 
vouch  for  its  accuracy.  This  is  the  way  the  story  has 
been  told  : 

Jim  Wardner,  of  Far  Western  mining  fame— one  of 
those  mortals  of  such  intense  activity  of  mind  and  body 
that  the  best  conditions  of  the  present  are  naught 
by  comparison  with  the  possibilities  of  the  future, 
and  who  are,  therefore,  in  mining  parlance,  "  up  to-day 
and  down  to-morrow  " — was  a  Milwaukee  boy  born  and 
bred,  and  as  a  consequence  was  a  young-man  acquaint- 
ance of  Hon.  Thomas  G.  Shaughnessey,  now  president  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  who  was  also  a  Milwau- 
keean.  Some  time  ago  Wardner  returned  from  a  min- 
ing trip  to  South  Africa,  and  drifted  up  into  the  Ross- 
land  district  in  British  Columbia.  There  he  struck  a 
proposition  which  he  believed  he  could  promote  to  ad- 
vantage, provided  he  could  reach  Montreal.  But  Jim 
was  "broke."  However,  he  managed  to  reach  Van- 
couver, and,  walking  into  the  headquarters'  offices  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific,  said  to'the  manager  in  charge  :  *'  I 
am  Jim  Wardner,  and  I  am  an  old  friend  of  Tom  Shaugh- 
nessey's.  Will  you  please  wire  him,  and  tell  him  that  I 
am  here  '  broke,'  and  want  transportation  to  Montreal  ? " 

The  manager,  somewhat  impressed  with  Wardner's 
peculiar  presence  and  address,  telegraphed  Mr,  Shaugh- 
nessey : 

"  Man  named  Jim  Wardner,  who  says  he  is  an  old 
friend  of  yours,  wants  transportation  to  Montreal.  Shall 
I  give  it  to  him  ? " 

Back  came  the  reply  :  **  Don't  let  Jim  walk." 

Wardner  at  once  obtained  transportation  and  left  on 
the  first  train  for  the  East.     Arriving  at  Montreal,  he 


That  Railroad  Pass.  133 

called  at  the  general  offices  of  the  company  to  see  Mr. 
Shaughnessey,  to  renew  old  acquaintance  and  thank 
him  for  the  favor  granted.  A  number  of  prominent 
Canadian  gentlemen  were  present  when  Mr.  Wardner 
entered  Mr.  Shaughnessey's  office  with  a  hearty  greet- 
ing of  his  old  friend,  which  was  as  heartily  returned. 

"  Hello,  Mr.  President ;  so  glad  to  see  you  and  thank 
you." 

"  Well,  well,  Jim,  is  this  really  you  ? "  Then,  with  the 
real  Shaughnessey  twinkle  of  the  eye  :  "  How  under 
the  heavens  did  you  get  here  so  soon  if  you  were  'broke '  ?" 

"  Why,  Mr.  President,  thanks  to  your  telegram,  '  Don't 
let  Jim  walk,'  of  course  I  was  at  once  furnished  trans- 
portation ;  and  here  I  am." 

"  Confound  those  operators!  " — with  apparent  severity. 
"  It  is  strange  they  cannot  get  my  messages  through 
correctly  !  " 

"  Didn't  you  telegraph,  '  Don't  let  Jim  walk  '  ? "  inter- 
rupted Wardner. 

"  Certainly  not.  My  answer  was  :  ^ Don't  !  Let  Jin* 
walk  a ' " 

But  the  later  hospitalities  heaped  upon  Jim  thor- 
oughly assuaged  his  griefs,  if  he  had  any. 

It  is  with  mingled  feelings  of  amusement  and  dismay 
that  I  recall  another  instance  of  where  a  telegraphic 
message  went  wrong,  for  it  did  not  afford  me  as  much 
satisfaction  as  did  my  previous  experience. 

I  was  just  back  from  Cape  Nome  and  had  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  gold  find  there  was  all  that  it  was  re- 
ported to  be.  It  was  really  wonderful !  I  do  not  sup- 
pose that  I  ought  to  tell  this  story  on  myself,  but  it  is 
too  good  to  keep. 

We  had  quite  a  time  of  it  coming  down  on  a  boat 
from  Alaska  and  we  kept  it  up  at  Vancouver,  so  that  I 
found  myself  overdue  at  home  and  I  felt  that  some  ex- 
planation was  due.  I  went  into  a  telegraph  office  and 
wrote  out  the  following  dispatch  :  "  Have  been  indis- 
posed ;  full  particulars  by  letter." 

My  hand,  I  will  confess,  was  a  trifle  shaky,  and  in 
some  way  I  ran  the  pencil  through  the  word  indisposed, 
so  that  the  message  went  with  that  word  left  out.  It 
was  productive  of  a  domestic  upheaval,  which  is  pain- 
ful for  me  even  now  to  dwell  upon. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

ONE    ON    THE    DOCTOR. 

Speaking  about  railroad  men,  I  never  knew  a  railroad 
conductor  or  brakeraan  who  was  a  mean  man.  Most  of 
them  have  a  joke  up  their  sleeve,  and  the  way  they 
spring  it  on  you  makes  your  previous  efforts  to  produce 
a  joke  look  like  thirty  cents.  The  particular  railroad 
conductor  I  have  in  mind  is  Mr.  Charles  Morrow,  of 
Seattle. 

Now,  Mr.  Morrow  has  a  big  wen  on  his  forehead,  and 
of  this  he  seems  to  be  proud.  It  happened  that  while 
running  over  the  top  of  a  long  freight  train  one  dark 
night  he  struck  something — and  when  he  woke  up  he  was 
lying  on  a  clean  white  cot  in  the  Providence  Hospital, 
Seattle,  terribly  bruised  and  covered  with  bandages  and 
splints,  but  still  alive.  Feeling  himself,  to  see  if  he 
was  all  there,  his  hand  moved  to  his  head,  and  a  smile 
passed  over  his  poor  black-and-blue  countenance.  See- 
ing the  doctor  approaching,  he  asked  : 

**  See  here,  doctor  !  come  here.     Am  I  badly  hurt  ?  " 

"  Yes,  seriously.     Now  keep  quiet,  my  boy." 

'*'  But,  doctor,  where  am  I  hurt  the  worst  ?  " 

'''Your  head,"  the  medico  answered.  "Serious  con- 
tusions ;  much  swollen." 

"  But,  doctor,  is  it  where  you've  got  this  big  wad  of 
plaster,  linen  and  bandages.'"  (laying  his  well  hand 
thereon). 

**  Yes,  my  boy." 

*'  Well,   doc,  you  might  just  as  well  let  that  d d 

old  wen  alone.  You  can't  reduce  him  ;  I've  tried  it  for 
twenty  years." 

Charles  is  now  well  again,  and  it  gives  him  intense 
pleasure  to  make  the  old  doctor  "set  'em  up"  all 
around. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

WARDNER,    B,    C. 

After  my  venture  in  town-sites  I  again  turned  to  min- 
ing, and,  in  company  with  Gen;  George  Pfunder  and 
several  notable  Montreal  capitalists,  got  hold  of  the  Co- 
lona  mine,  near  Rossland.  Accepting  a  favorable  offer 
I  sold  out  all  my  holdings  in  Rossland,  and  started  for 
the  Pacific  Coast  again.  I  met  Capt.  F.  P.  Armstrong 
on  the  Canadian  Pacific  train,  and  at  once  joined  him  in 
an  enterprise  which,  but  for  the  cold  hand  of  fate,  would 
have  realized  us  both  a  great  fortune.  It  was  a  big 
scheme.  A  new  town  was  to  be  started  in  East  Koo- 
tenay.  It  was  to  be  called  Wardner.  The  site  selected 
was  where  the  Crows'  Nest  Railroad  would  cross  the 
Kootenay  River.  Armstrong  and  myself  were  to  be  the 
principal  owners  ;  in  fact,  I  was  to  have  nine-tenths. 

We  organized  the  International  Transportation  Com- 
pany ;  I  was  elected  president ;  and  we  ran  a  line  of 
steamers  between  Jennings,  Montana,  and  Wardner,  B. 
C.  We  got  our  town-site  crown-granted,  added  to  our 
line  the  beautiful  new  passenger  steamer  Ruth,  and 
when  navigation  opened  business  commenced  in  good 
earnest. 

The  Kootenay  River  is  a  torrential  stream,  navigation 
is  extremely  hazardous,  and  most  careful  pilotage  is 
necessary.  In  fact,  only  three  men  live  that  dare  run 
that  river,  namely,  Capts.  Sanborn,  Miller,  and  Arm- 
strong. Our  boats  would  make  the  passage  up  in  three 
days,  and  come  down  in  eight  hours. 

To  resume.  Navigation  opened  late  in  April ;  the 
boats  were  loaded  to  the  guards  with  freight  and  pas- 
sengers ;  Wardner,  B.  C,  was  booming.  Three  clerks 
were  employed  making  out  contracts  and  deeds  for  town 
lots.  Two  hundred  thousand  dollars  would  not  have 
purchased  my  big  interest  in  the  boats  and  the  town. 
Both  boats  left  Wardner  May  7th,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 


136  Jim  Wardner. 

forenoon.  I  remained  in  Wardner,  to  look  after  the 
real-estate  end,  let  grading  contracts,  and  so  forth. 

On  May  9th  a  courier  dashed  into  Wardner  with  a 
letter  from  Capt.  Armstrong.  Great  heavens  !  my 
boats  were  both  gone,  and  with  my  boats  had  perished 
a  thousand  hopes  and  resolutions.  I  had  said,  "  On 
Christmas  day  I  will  not  owe  a  man  a  dollar."  Home 
was  to  be  adorned,  and  the  wants  of  those  near  and 
dear  to  me  were  to  be  filled.  Reader,  I  have  lost  and 
won  thousands  of  dollars,  but  I  was  stunned  and  dazed. 
However,  I  soon  recuperated,  for  I  philosophized: 
"  Have  you  not  still  your  eyes,  ears,  legs,  and  appetite, 

and "  Patience,  dear  reader.  In  company  with  Thomas 

Crahan  and  Mr.  Stevens  I  jumped  into  a  small  boat  and 
shot  down  that  roaring,  rising,  wicked  stream.  We 
made  150  miles,  and  before  dark  were  at  the  canon.  I 
found  Capt.  Armstrong  in  good  spirits,  but  Capt. 
Sanborn  was  feeling  badly.  He  is  the  best  swift-water 
man  in  the  world  to-day.  He  could  not  live  on  smooth 
water.  He  had  run  steamers  on  all  the  most  rapid 
streams  in  Washington,  and  is  the  only  man  that  ever 
steamed  up  the  treacherous  Coeur  d'Alene.  This  was 
his  first  accident. 

We  organized  another  company  and  built  another 
boat,  but  too  late — the  water  had  fallen,  the  boom  in 
Wardner  lots  was  over.  I  sacrificed  my  stock  and  my 
town,  and  started  for  the  Klondike. 


CHAPTER  XXXVL 

THE    LOSS    OF    THE    STEAMBOATS. 

From  the  Spokane  Spokesman- Review  is  taken  the 
following  account  of  the  loss  of  the  steamers  Ruth  and 
Gwendolyne,  just  referred  to,  and  the  bravery  exhibited 
at  the  time  by  the  wife  of  Captain  Sanborn  of  the  Ruth. 
The  account  says  : 

"The  Transportation  Company  lose  from  $40,000 
to  $50,000,  with  no  insurance.  They  were  literally 
swamped  with  business.  The  double  wreck  leaves 
them  without  a  boat. 

"J.  F.  Wardner,  who  is  president  of  the  company,  has 
been  notified  of  the  loss  by  courier. 

"  A  hundred  passengers  were  in  waiting  at  Jennings, 
and  over  fifty  carloads  of  merchandise  must  be  diverted 
elsewhere. 

*'  The  particulars  of  the  wrecking  of  the  steamers 
Ruth  and  Gwendolyne,  on  the  Kootenay,  bring  to  light 
the  coolness  and  courage  of  the  wife  of  Captain  San- 
born, of  the  Ruth;  and  her  part  in  the  memorable  event 
is  told  in  the  following  graphic  description  of  the  sinking 
of  the  steamers,  given  by  J.  P.  Harris,  one  of  those  on 
board  the  Ruth  : 

"  '  We  left  Fort  Steele,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
with  twenty-two  persons  aboard,  passengers  and  crew. 
We  had  a  beautiful  run  down  the  river,  and  took  on 
eighty  tons  of  North  vStar  ore  at  Tobacco  Plains.  We 
ran  into  the  canon,  five  miles  from  Jennings,  about 
5:30  last  evening,  and  were  running  down  with  the 
swift  current  and  backing  water.  The  river  was  rising, 
and  carried  much  driftwood.  When  the  steamer  was  in 
one  of  the  worst  places  in  the  canon  a  long  log  drifted 
under  the  wheel  and  caught  in  the  rudder.  It  was  sim- 
ply impossible  for  Captain  Sanborn  to  handle  the  boat, 
and  she  quickly  drifted  on  a  rocky  point  in  midstream. 


138  Jim   Wardner. 

The  river  at  that  point  is  about  250  feet  wide,  and 
runs  like  a  mill-race.  It  all  happened  quickly,  and 
Captain  Sanborn,  though  wonderfully  cool,  level-headed 
and  courageous,  was  powerless  to  avert  the  disaster. 

"  '  When  the  steamer  struck,  the  bow  swung  around 
and  sank.  Mrs.  Sanborn  was  one  of  the  coolest  persons 
aboard.  She  called  out  for  every  one  to  keep  cool,  as 
there  was  no  danger,  and  her  courage  and  confident 
bearing  had  a  fine  effect  on  the  passengers  and  crew. 
There  was  no  excitement,  and  all  behaved  admirably. 

"  '  The  passengers  and  crew  crowded  upon  the  little 
rock  in  the  wild  water.  There  was  not  enough  dry  sur- 
face for  all,  and  some  of  us  had  to  stand  on  a  flat  rock 
a  few  inches  under  water.  The  water  rushed  through 
the  wreck,  and  in  five  minutes  had  torn  the  boat  to 
pieces.  Almost  nothing  was  saved.  Two  or  three  saved 
their  valises,  but  that  was  all.  I  did  not  have  time  even 
to  take  the  money  from  my  till.  The  company,  how- 
ever, saved  its  books  and  papers. 

" '  We  saved  one  of  the  lifeboats,  and  with  that  the 
passengers  and  crew  were  ferried  ashore.  Mrs.  San- 
born was  the  last  person  to  leave  the  rock,  positively 
refusing  to  leave  until  all  others  were  taken  ashore. 

"  '  Before  all  the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  Ruth  were 
taken  ashore,  the  steamer  Gtvendolyne,  commanded  by 
Captain  Armstrong,  came  around  the  bend  unexpect- 
edly. Captain  Armstrong  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  and  realized  his  danger.  He  was  in  the  course 
for  the  regular  channel,  but  that  was  obstructed  by  the 
wreck  of  the  Ruth.  He  tried  to  make  the  other  chan- 
nel, but  could  not  do  it.  The  Gwendolyne  swung  against 
the  Ruth,  and  soon  broke  in  two.  About  twenty  persons 
were  aboard.  They  clambered  to  the  wreck  of  the 
Ruth,  and  from  that  to  the  rock  upon  which  we  had 
been  saved.  The  fate  of  the  Ruth  was  quickly  re- 
peated by  that  of  the  Gwendolyne.  Both  steamers  are 
total  wrecks,  and  the  river  is  strewn  with  wreckage  as 
far  down  as  Bonner's  Ferry— furniture,  mattresses,  and 
pieces  of  broken  boat.     I  did  not  save  a  thing. 

"  '  Four  of  us  walked  into  Jennings  last  night.  The 
others,  crews  and  passengers  of  both  boats,  built  a  big 
bonfire  on  the  bank  and  remained  there  until  this  morn- 
ing, having  nothing  to  eat  and  no  bedding.    They  strag- 


The  Loss  of  the  Steamboats.  139 

gled  into  Jennings  this  morning,  some  coming  down  the 
river  in  boats  and  some  walking. 

" '  There  was  no  excitement  at  any  time,  and  the  two 
captains  behaved  with  admirable  presence  of  mind, 
coolness  and  courage.  They  did  everything  that  man 
could  do  to  save  their  boats  ;  but  it  was  an  impossi- 
bility.' " 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

KLONDIKE. 

While  the  trip  to  the  Klondike  is  not  always  enjoyable 
and  is  at  times  perilous,  yet  the  hardships  have  been 
much  exaggerated  and  are  now  lessened  to  a  great  ex- 
tent. However,  it  all  depends  upon  conditions,  i.  e., 
whether  you  carry  your  own  load  or  whether  somebody 
else  carries  it  for  you. 

I  left  Lake  Bennett  on  the  Queen's  birthday  with  four 
barge-loads  of  goods,  many  passengers,  and  my  own 
private  boat.  The  trip  was  hazardous  and  extremely 
unfortunate,  as  I  lost  one  barge  with  its  entire  con- 
tents in  Miles'  Canon,  the  other  one  had  its  contents 
ruined  in  White  Horse  Rapids,  and  my  own  boat  met 
with  a  series  of  mishaps  and  had  many  narrow  escapes 
from  floating  ice  and  hidden  rocks.  I  was  indeed  glad 
to  reach  Dawson  with  the  rest  of  my  outfit,  which 
barely  got  me  out  even. 

The  market  at  that  time  was  extremely  good  in  Daw- 
son. For  instance,  I  sold  135  boxes  of  oranges  and 
lemons  for  $100  per  box  ;  10,000  cigars  at  $350  per 
1,000  ;  and  whiskey  sold  for  $100  per  gallon,  and  I  had 
with  me  100  gallons.  These  fortunate  sales  saved  me 
from  heavy  losses.  The  Dawson  market  is  strictly  a 
market  of  supply.  The  demand  is  always  good,  but  the 
supply  regulates  the  price, 

I  then  turned  my  attention  to  gold  mining  ;  got  hold 
of  a  splendid  claim  on  the  Old  Channel,  and  left  for  the 
States  to  solve  the  problem  of  economical  melting  of 
frozen  ground  in  the  Klondike.  I  had  scarcely  reached 
civilization  when  the  gold  fever  broke  out  in  Atlin,  B.  C, 
with  renewed  vigor.  In  the  midwinter  of  1898  I  again 
left  Bennett,  traveling  over  the  ice  200  miles  to  Atlin. 
About  this  time  the  British  Columbian  Government 
passed  an  alien  law,  a  law  both  disagreeable  and  un- 
profitable to  me.     In  the  early  spring  I  took  to  my  boat 


Klondike.  141 

again,  and  floated  through  the  chain  of  lakes  and  down 
the  mighty  Yukon  some  700  miles,  arriving  without 
mishap  in  Dawson  in  July.  Here  I  found  my  son, 
Jackson  Hadley  Wardner,  with  his  young  wife  and  little 
daughter — who  is  the  first  white  girl  born  in  Dawson, 
of  which  fact  we  all  are  very  proud. 

I  had  hardly  time  to  pay  my  respects  to  Col.  Steele, 
when,  from  1,760  miles  to  the  westward,  on  the  22d  of 
July,  1899,  came  the  news  that  gold  had  been  discovered 
on  the  beach  at  Cape  Nome  by  W.  C.  Slade  and  Wm. 
Thorn  waite. 

When  I  received  private  information  of  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  great  gold  strike  at  Cape  Nome  (of  which  I 
shall  say  more  hereafter  in  this  book)  I  was  off  like  a  shot. 
In  fact,  no  power  on  earth  could  have  stopped  me.  This 
information  came  to  me  about  noon,  and  that  evening 
I  took  the  C.  J.  Hamilton  and  arrived  in  St.  Michael's, 
a  distance  of  over  2,000  miles  down-stream,  nine  days 
afterward.  That  evening  all  my  hopes,  wishes,  and  de- 
sires in  regard  to  this  great  gold  country  were  verified 
by  many  old  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  not  having 
a  moment  to  spare  that  night  I  took  the  steamer  Dis- 
covery. A  tempestuous  gale  turned  into  a  howling  hur- 
ricane, but  when  we  arrived  off  Cape  Nome  the  sea  had 
subsided,  yet  the  swells  were  enormous.  Capt.  Hall  in- 
formed me  that  until  the  sea  went  down  passengers 
could  not  be  landed  safely — indeed,  he  did  not  think  he 
would  land  any  passengers  that  day.  The  fact  is,  there 
was  a  big  swell  on,  but  from  the  deck  of  the  steainboat 
this  rising  and  falling  with  the  swell  did  not  appear  to 
me  to  be  very  serious,  and  I  did  not  realize  the  danger 
of  the  surf.  I  determined  to  land  at  the  first  opportu- 
nity. 

Many  minutes  had  not  elapsed  before,  striking  out 
through  the  surf,  came  a  little  white  dory.  At  intervals 
it  could  be  seen,  now  on  the  highest  billow  and  then 
plunged  down  out  of  sight.  As  the  boat  neared  our 
steamer  I  saw  only  one  man  at  the  oars.  It  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  he  threw  on  the  lower  deck  a  pack- 
age of  valuable  papers  for  an  officer  of  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company.  As  he  came  down  in  his  little  boat 
on  one  of  those  billows,  I  exclaimed,  "  How  much 
to  take  me  ashore  ?  "     From  'way  down  in  the  depths  a 


142  Jim   Wardner. 

voice  answered, "  Five  dollars."  I  said,  "All  right,"  and 
regardless  of  my  baggage,  which  was  not  much,  as  that 
little  boat  came  rising  up  to  the  lower  deck  I  made  a 
jump,  and  in  a  moment  I  was  soaring  far  above.  Away 
we  went,  now  on  the  crest  of  the  highest  billow  and 
again  down  where  a  wall  of  sea  was  almost  upon  us.  She 
rode  it  like  a  duck,  and  he,  with  that  consummate  skill 
inborn  in  a  Danish  boatman,  watching  his  opportunity, 
entered  the  surf  and  put  that  little  boat  on  the  crest  of 
a  beach  comber  that  seemed  too  feet  high,  and  there 
we  held  our  position.  He  rowed  for  dear  life,  and  had  we 
lost  our  position  we  should  certainly  have  been  engulfed. 
On,  on  we  went,  he  battling  to  maintain  the  speed  of 
that  wave,  and  never  ceasing  his  skillful  efforts,  until  we 
landed  with  our  boat  within  fifteen  feet  of  Dick  Daw- 
son's "  Cabinet  Saloon,"  safe  and  dry.  After  hustling 
quickly  out  of  the  boat  I  was  surrounded  by  numerous 
friends  and  acquaintances.  So  great  were  the  stories 
they  told  of  Cape  Nome  that,  even  with  my  proverbial 
aptitude  to  disbelieve  nothing  in  the  gold  line,  I  stood 
and  listened  in  wonder.  But  there  it  was,  and  there  was 
my  old  friend,  "Tough-Nut  Jack,"  with  a  poke  of  gold 
worth  $6,000,  and  there  were  Dawson,  Walters,  Capt, 
Slade,  Linderberg,  and  all  the  Swedish  population, 
"  Cherokee  Bob,"  Chas.  Simpson,  Tom  Nestor,  Billy 
Nestor,  Billy  Chappell,  Briggs,  Hyde,  Strout,  Billy 
Walton,  and  fifteen  hundred  others  with  money  to  burn, 
and  all  told  me  they  were  making  from  $50  to  $100  a 
day  off  that  golden  beach. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

GOOD-BYE. 

And  now,  with  all  the  glowing  aspirations  and  ambi- 
tions of  twenty-five  years  ago,  I  will  bid  you  good-bye.  I 
am  off  to  Cape  Nome  again,  where  I  expect  to  pile  up  a 
colossal  fortune,  the  foundations  of  which  have  already 
been  laid  by  my  partner,  "  Tough-Nut  Jack."  This  is, 
indeed,  my  last  venture ;  and  when,  dear  reader,  you  are 
perusing  this  book,  surrounded  by  comforts  and  all  the 
luxuries  of  life,  think  kindly  of  the  writer,  whose  trail 
has  been  covered  with  hardships,  and  who,  if  success- 
ful in  this  last  and  biggest  struggle,  will  return  to  his 
own  dear  ones,  there  to  remain  until  the  book  of  life  is 
closed  and  he  joins  tne  great  stampede  to  the  Golden 
City  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  there  to  meet  the  kindred 
mining  spirits  and  talk  over  the  prospects  in  our 
heavenly  camp. 

Now,  in  closing,  with  love  to  all  and  malice  toward 
none,  I  ask  merely  this  :  That  the  little  marble  marker 
at  my  head  bear  only  the  sweet  tribute  of  "  Barbarian  " 
Brown: 

"  Oh,  where,  and  oh,  where  has  Jim  Wardner  gone  ? 
Oh,  where,  and  oh,  where  is  he  ? 
With  his  tales  of  gold  and  his  anecdotes  old, 
And  his  new  discover-ee  !" 


-5»cS=^"^rf» 


APPENDIX. 

EUREKA — NOME  ! 

We  are  told  on  unimpeachable  authority  that 
"  Heaven  is  paved  with  gold."  Cape  Nome,  on  the 
Behring  Sea,  Alaska,  is  not  heavenly  from  an  atmos- 
pheric or  climatic  point  of  view  all  the  year  round,  but 
for  Nature's  gold  paving  it  is  a  heaven  on  earth.  The 
very  sands  on  the  seashore  are  yellow  with  the  precious 
metal  and  the  under  stratum  is  dotted  with  nuggets  of 
more  than  ordinary  size. 

This  new  miners'  Mecca  is  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  north  and  west  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  River,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles 
from  Healy,  St.  Michael's  Island.  I  have  seen  most  of 
the  gold-mining  regions  on  this  mundane  sphere  and 
can  truthfully  say  that  none  compare  with  Nome.  It  is 
the  most  remarkable  gold-mining  region  at  present  in 
the  world,  if  not  in  the  entire  history  of  gold-mining. 

Regarding  the  description  of  the  Cape  Nome  mining 
country  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  as  far  as 
discovered  the  sands  of  the  seashore  carry  more  or  less 
gold  from  a  point  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  out  to  sea 
and  beyond  low  tide,  thence  inland  to  the  tundra,  or 
Siberian  marsh,  a  distance  of  about  five  hundred  feet. 
I  have  prospected  these  sands  at  intervals  on  the  beach 
for  thirty-five  miles  ;  the  values,  I  found,  were  exceed- 
ingly uniform.  The  tundra  will  probably  average  about 
eight  feet  higher  than  the  beach,  that  is,  above  high 
tide.  The  tundra  is  a  mossy,  tufty  morass,  containing 
water  on  the  surface  in  summer  and  ice  to  an  indefinite 
depth.  It  has  not  been  prospected  to  any  great  extent, 
but  a  number  of  thawing  machines  were  sent  up  there 
recently,  and  undoubtedly  before  this  time  they  have 
gone  deep  into  the  frozen  depths  of  the  tundra. 

My  theory  is  that  the  tundra  contains  more  or  less 


146  Jim  Wardner. 

gold,  which  will  be  gotten  at  when  the  sand  is  reached, 
and  will  probably  be  from  eight  to  ten  feet  below  the 
surface  of  the  tundra.  This,  when  found,  will  be  in 
places  on  the  ancient  beach  of  Behring  Sea,  where  gold 
was  deposited  in  vast  quantities  previous  to  the  reced- 
ing of  the  sea.  This  tundra  runs  from  high  tide  back 
to  the  foothills  with  a  very  gradual  slope.  Reaching  the 
foothills,  I  found  the  unmistakable  evidences  that  once 
the  tides  reached  this  point.  Again,  regarding  the  tun- 
dra, I  found  evidences  of  the  old  creek  and  river  beds 
of  ancient  days.  These  creeks  are  now  named  Penny, 
Snake,  and  Nome,  and  there  are  numberless  unnamed 
swales  and  gullies,  now  dry,  whose  waters  have  been 
diverted  into  other  channels.  The  gold  in  the  tundra 
unquestionably  came  from  the  various  gulches,  which 
are  now  being  worked  for  placer,  in  the  foothills  and 
mountains,  from  seven  to  fourteen  miles  from  the 
beach. 

Now,  again,  regarding  the  beach,  I  might  add  that 
the  gold  taken  from  it  up  to  date  has  been  extracted 
from  the  sand  by  means  of  the  rocking  process.  In  no 
place  have  the  lower-grade  sands  been  worked,  miners 
preferring  to  work  nothing  that  paid  less  than  $25  per 
day.  As  the  work  of  a  rocker  and  two  men  does  not 
exceed,  in  ten  hours,  the  washing  of  over  two  good- 
sized  washtubs  of  sand,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  how  little 
of  the  country  has  been  disturbed.  I  panned,  many 
times,  the  tailings  of  the  miners,  and  in  no  instance  was 
the  result  less  than  $20  to  the  ton.  I  made  these  de- 
ductions by  weighing  the  gold  and  allowing  thirty 
pounds  of  sand  to  the  miner's  pan.  By  the  rocking 
process  I  am  certain  it  is  impossible  to  extract  more 
than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  gold  values. 

Mr.  D.  O'Hara  says  :  "  I  went  down  the  river  from 
Dawson  about  July  ist,  arriving  at  Nome  about  the 
time  of  the  beach  strike.  I  bought  out  the  right  of 
William  Whittlesey  to  a  bit  of  the  beach  and  went 
to  work  with  my  partner.  In  just  eight  days  we 
rocked  out  $1,000,  In  the  claim  adjoining  ours,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  small  gulch  running  out  of  the  tundra,  two 
men  took  out  $600  the  first  day,  $1,200  the  second  day, 
and  three  men  on  the  third  day  took  out  $1,500." 

I  saw  pretty  good  evidence  that  the  gold  was  not 


Eureka — Nome  !  147 

deposited  there  by  the  action  of  the  sea,  for  I  found  four 
nuggets  right  at  the  edge  of  the  tundra,  the  largest 
worth  $1.67  and  the  next  $1.10.  I  don't  think  there  is 
any  doubt  that  every  inch  of  the  tundra  for  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  miles  back  from  the  coast  contains  pay. 
Mr.  Ringstaff,  formerly  a  well-known  shoe  dealer  of 
Seattle,  and  Noble  Wallingford,  took  a  large  number  of 
pans  at  least  a  mile  back  from  the  tundra  on  the  edge 
of  Cripple  River  bottom.  They  never  failed  to  get  from 
forty  to  fifty  colors,  and  found  as  high  as  20  cents  to  the 
pan.  John  Grindle  has  a  claim  on  the  bank  of  Cripple 
River  for  which  he  has  refused  $5,000.  I  have  located 
eight  claims  in  the  region  and  consider  it  the  richest  belt 
of  placer  in  the  world.  I  have  been  about  50  miles  up  the 
coast  and  over  about  200  miles  of  territory.  It  all  looks 
just  alike  and  gold  can  be  found  everywhere  over  it. 

I  was  all  through  Norton  Sound  in  a  sloop,  but  saw 
little  until  we  got  to  Topock,  about  twenty  miles  below 
Galovin  Bay,  where  the  Bonanza  district  begins.  This 
district  extends  up  to  Cape  Nome,  and  the  Cape  Nome 
district  extends  from  the  cape  about  twenty  miles  to  a 
point  four  miles  below  Penny  River.  Here  the  Sinrock 
district  joins  on  and  runs  about  forty  miles  further  up 
the  coast. 

I  saw  a  man  who  had  been  over  on  the  Siberian 
shore.  He  asserted  that  diggings  could  be  found  there 
as  valuable  as  at  Nome.  I  also  saw  several  men  from 
Cape  York.  That  locality  has  been  surface-prospected 
only,  but  it  is  said  to  be  a  country  similar  to  Nome,  ex- 
cept that  plenty  of  wood  is  to  be  found  there. 

I  tested  the  ground  at  Nome  in  many  places.  Dry 
Creek  is  rich,  but  there  is  no  water  to  work  with.  Dex- 
ter is  good,  and  Millionaire  Chas.  D.  Lane  is  putting  in 
a  pumping  plant  to  work  with.  I  took  out  of  one  of 
Wallmgford's  claims  on  Quartz  Creek  as  high  as  $1.85 
to  the  pan,  on  the  bed-rock  of  the  rim.  I  don't  think 
there  is  any  of  the  beach  sand  that  is  not  worth  at 
least  $5  a  j'ard.  Where  rockers  were  worked  it  was 
possible  to  put  about  two  and  one-half  yards  through 
each  day,  and  this  averaged  from  $16  to  $25  a  yard 
where  the  top  was  shoveled  away  and  the  pay-streaks 
followed.  As  high  as  $50  a  yard  was  found.  Now,  by 
operating  sluice-boxes,  a  man  can  shovel  in  about  twenty 


148  Jim  Wardner. 

yards  a  day  of  that  kind  of  soil,  which  is  exceedingly 
easy  to  handle.  Where  sluicing  is  used  it  will  pay  to 
handle  over  every  bit  of  the  ground  which  was  worked 
last  summer.  Pumping  plants  will  be  used  largely  next 
season. 

It  is  going  to  be  a  great  country  for  quartz.  I  regard 
it  as  highly  probable  that  the  gold  comes  out  of  ledges 
in  the  hills  back  of  the  coast.  These  hills  average  about 
1,600  feet  high  near  the  coast,  while  the  main  range, 
from  sixteen  to  eighteen  miles  inland,  is  about  3,000  to 
4,000  feet  high.  The  formation  is  largely  granite,  slate, 
limestone,  some  porphyry,  and  much  quartz.  I  have 
never  seen  any  other  region  where  there  is  so  much 
quartz,  and  there  is  certainly  mineral  in  it.  Any  of  the 
miners  can  tell  you  of  the  many  lumps  of  solid 
sulphurets  of  iron  to  be  found  on  the  beach.  Back  a 
little  way  I  have  picked  up  many  specimens,  as  large 
as  a  man's  hand,  of  the  same  sulphurets.  The  country 
is  full  of  graphite,  too.  I  saw  several  beds.  One  at 
Dexter,  on  Galovin  Bay,  was  eight  to  ten  feet  wide. 

But  for  the  scarcity  of  wood  it  would  be  a  very  easy 
country  to  prospect,  much  easier  to  get  about  in  with 
pack  animals  than  the  Klondike  region  ;  but  the  mos- 
quitoes are  frightful,  worse  than  any  place  I  have  been 
on  the  Yukon  or  an)^where  else. 

Mr.  J.  H.  McPherson,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  made  the 
banner  record  of  the  beach  for  forty-two  days.  A  ver- 
batim copy  of  the  forty-two  days'  work,  at  $16  per 
ounce,  is  as  follows  :  July  28,  $185  ;  July  29,  $64  ;  July 
30,  $84.10;  July  31,  $152.65;  Aug.  I,  $143;  Aug.  2, 
$145.52  ;  Aug.  3,  $179  ;  Aug.  4,  $98.71  ;  Aug.  5,  $102  ; 
Aug.  6,  $113.85  ;  Aug.  7,  $188.40  ;  Aug.  8,  $245  ;  Aug.  9, 
$318  ;  Aug.  10,  $187;  Aug.  II,  $370  ;  Aug.  16,  $447  ;  Aug. 
17,  $415;  Aug.  18,  $512.75;  Aug.  19,  $530;  Aug.  20, 
$295  ;  Aug.  21,  $165.40  ;  Aug.  22,  $106  ;  Aug.  23,  $313.60; 
Aug.  24,  $244.40;  Aug.  25,  $272  ;  Aug.  26,  $456;  Aug. 
27,  $401.40  ;  Aug.  28,  $56  ;  Aug.  29,  $74  ;  Aug.  30,  $128  ; 
^'^Z-  31,  $128;  Sept.  2,  $170.40;  Sept.  3,  $92  ;  Sept.  4, 
$50;  Sept.  5,  $188;  Sept.  7,  $140.80;  Sept.  8,  $124; 
Sept.  9,  $68;  Sept.  10,  $81  ;  Sept.  11,  $100.  Total  for 
the  forty-two  days,  $8,403.10. 

The  gold-fields  of  this  part  of  Alaska  are  not  restricted 
to  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Nome,  as  glowing  reports  have 


Eureka — Nome  !  149 

come  from  Clarence  Sound,  Cape  York  and  Cape  Prince 
of  Wales.  Galovin  Bay  has  made  a  record,  and  the 
placers  that  will  be  discovered  in  the  interior  of  the 
peninsula,  with  the  developments  up  to  date,  certainly 
warrant  the  expected  rush. 

Dr.  Kittleson,  Recorder,  says  in  reply  to  a  question  as 
to  Cape  Nome's  richness :  "  The  gold  is  there  and  in 
great  quantities.  It  is  a  rich  district.  The  creeks  alone 
produced  about  $1,500,000  worth  of  dust  this  season,  and 
the  beach-diggings  perhaps  as  much  more.  It  is  hard 
to  tell  just  what  the  beaches  did  yield,  but  I  think  the 
total  output  of  the  district  the  past  season  was  not  far 
short  of  $3,000,000.  The  beaches  are  much  more  ex- 
tensive than  people  suppose.  They  have  been  pros- 
pected and  found  to  pay  for  a  disiance  of  forty  miles 
above  and  below  Nome  City.  For  that  matter,  I  think 
the  whole  section  from  Norton  Bay  to  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  a  distance  0/  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  con- 
tains gold,  and  in  some  places  the  ground  is  very  rich. 
It  would  be  hard  to  say  how  far  back  from  the  sea  it 
extends,  but  colors  have  been  found  as  far  to  the  interior 
as  the  prospector  has  worked." 

James  M.  Wilson,  president  of  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company,  says  in  regard  to  Cape  Nome  :  "  The  beaches, 
I  think  it  is  safe  to  say,  yield  an  average  of  $20  or  $25 
per  day  to  the  men,  and  that  is  a  big  thing.  They  are 
also  finding  more  or  less  gold  in  the  tundra.  In  truth, 
there  seems  to  be  gold  all  over  that  section,  which  is  in 
reality  so  large  that  it  has  not  even  been  prospected 
yet.  What  is  my  opinion  as  to  the  source  of  gold  on  the 
beaches  ?  Well,  I  don't  think  it  comes  from  the  sea. 
That  is  all  fable.  To  my  notion  it  was  washed  down 
■  from  the  mountains  through  the  medium  of  the  Snake 
and  Nome  rivers.  When  it  reached  the  sea  it  was 
washed  and  churned  about — scattered  all  over  the 
beach,  in  fact."  The  foregoing  testimony  corroborates 
mine. 

A  town  was  naturally  located  between  the  Snake 
and  Nome  rivers,  and  was  called  Anvil  City.  Later 
in  the  season,  however,  it  was  incorporated  and  the 
name  changed  to  Nome  City,  which  is  now  the  me- 
tropolis of  the  Nome  district.  It  is  a  full-fledged  city, 
and  has  municipal  officers  as  follows :    T.  D.  Cashel, 


i^o  Jim   Wardncr. 

Mayor  ;  Alonzo  Rawson,  Judge  ;  James  P.  Rndd,  Treas- 
urer ;  D.  P.  Harrison,  Clerk  ;  Dr.  Gregg-,  Health  Officer; 
Key  Pitman,  City  Attorney  ;  D.  K.  B.  Glenn,  Surveyor; 
W.  M.  Eddy,  Chief  of  Police  ;  W.  J.  Allen,  Chief  of  Fire 
Department ;  Geo.  N.  Wright,  W.  Robertson,  C.  P.  Dam, 
A.  J.  Lowe,  Charles  Pennington,  and  W.  J.  Donovan, 
Councilmen. 

The  town  is  building  up  rapidly,  and  this  spring  it 
will  probably  be  a  metropolis  of  many  thousands.  Three 
great  commercial  companies,  viz.,  the  North  American 
Trading  and  Transportation  Company,  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  and  the  Alaska  Exploration  Com- 
pany, have  large  establishments,  carrying  every  con- 
ceivable class  of  merchandise  ;  but  there  will  be  hotels, 
breweries,  steam  laundries  and  every  conceivable  busi- 
ness represented  later  on.  Money  will  be  made  by  the 
cartload  by  thousands  who  are  intelligent  and  fortunate; 
steamships  will  come  in  fleets,  and  sailing  vessels  by 
hundreds,  laden  with  coal,  lumber,  machinery,  and  beer 
to  this  Eldorado  of  the  North.  Vessels  should  leave 
Seattle  as  early  as  May  15  th,  and  it  is  advisable  to  secure 
passage  at  the  earliest  convenience. 

Among  the  many  new  establishments  to  be  erected  at 
Cape  Nome  we  notice  the  following  : 

"  The  Hotel  Nunivak, 
"  Nome  City,  Cape  Nome  District,  Alaska, 
"  Operated  by  the  Nunivak  Hotel  Co., 
"  T.  C.  Healy,  Gen.   Mgr., 
'*'Will  open  about  June   15th.     One  hundred  rooms. 
Ladies'  and   Gentlemen's   grill   room.      American  and 
European  plan.    Electrically  lighted  throughout.    Tele- 
phone service  connecting  rooms   with  office.     Rooms 
single   and   en    suite,    with   bath.     Also    the    best    of 
service." 

Mr.  T.  C.  Healy  formerly  ran  the  Regina  Club  Hotel 
at  Dawson,  and  was  very  successful.  This  immense  new 
hotel  will  be  designed  at  Seattle,  lumber  will  be  cut  and 
fitted,  and  every  article  of  household  and  kitchen  fur- 
niture will  be  purchased  in  Seattle.  A  large  vessel  will 
be  exclusively  loaded  with  the  material  and  furniture 
for  this  hotel,  and  Mr.  Healy  confidently  expects  to  be 
ready  for  guests    and  have   everything  in   first-class 


Eu7'eka — Nome  !  151 

working  order  two  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the  build- 
ing material. 

Among  the  many  big  projects  for  Nome  are  an  electric 
light  plant,  telephone  connection,  and  a  street  railway. 
Chas.  E.  Rosner,  a  Nome  City  attorney,  interested  with 
Dr.  H.  C.  Wilkinson  in  various  enterprises  pertaining  to 
the  celebrated  district,  intends,  with  Chicago  and  San 
Francisco  capitalists  who  have  been  granted  a  franchise 
by  the  Nome  City  council,  to  construct  a  street  railwa)' 
and  an  electric  light  and  telephone  system  for  the  me- 
tropolis of  the  new  district.  It  is  their  purpose  to  ship 
north  the  necessary  material  for  all  three  concerns  just 
as  soon  as  navigation  will  permit.  They  have  under- 
taken to  build  about  nine  miles  of  electric  road.  Begin- 
ning in  the  heart  of  Nome  City,  which  is  at  the  mouth 
of  Snake  River,  it  will  extend  along  the  auriferous 
beach  five  miles  to  the  mouth  of  Nome  River.  Another 
branch  is  to  be  extended  four  miles  to  the  mines  on 
Anvil  Creek.  The  lighting  system  will  be  only  for  the 
town  proper,  but  the  telephone  will  be  extended  over 
the  municipal  section  and  also  to  the  principal  creeks  of 
the  district. 

I  have  been  asked  hundreds  of  times  these  questions  : 

"  How  do  you  prepare  for  the  gold-fields  of  the  North- 
west, and  which  is  the  best  way  to  get  there  ? " 

To  the  first  query  I  cannot  give  you  a  better  answer 
than  that  given  by  the  MacDougall  &  Southwick  Com- 
pany, of  Seattle,  Wash.,  which  is  : 

"  Many  who  fail  in  their  search  for  gold  can  directly 
attribute  their  failure  to  their  carelessness  at  the  time 
of  outfitting.  They  do  not  seem  to  realize  that  their 
success,  their  health,  and  perhaps  their  lives,  depend 
upon  securing  a  sufficient  outfit  of  the  very  best  quality 
especially  designed  for  the  Arctic  climate,  and  having 
their  outfit  packed  so  that  no  matter  what  hardship  it 
passes  through  the  contents  will  be  uninjured. 

"  Many  starting  for  the  Alaska  gold-fields  make  the 
mistake  of  shopping  around,  asking  numerous  mer- 
chants for  quotations  on  flour,  bacon,  coffee,  baking 
powder,  tea,  etc.  The  reliable  merchant  who  is  familiar 
with  the  demands  of  the  country  will  quote  you  prices 
on  the  very  best  grades  of  everything ;  while  the  un- 
principled merchant  handles  the  very  cheapest   flour 


152  Jim   Wardncr. 

made,  bacon  unfit  for  use  even  in  this  country,  cheap 
adulterated  coffee,  trashy  baking  powder,  and  so  on 
throughout  the  entire  list,  quoting  prices  that  reliable 
goods  cannot  be  sold  at.  The  unprincipled  dealer, 
knowing  that  not  one  in  a  thousand  inspects  the  goods 
as  they  are  packed,  or  checks  the  weights,  will  quote 
you  prices  a  trifle  lower  than  the  reputable  dealer ;  and 
you  feel  that  you  have  saved  $8  or  $10  on  your  provis- 
ions, when,  in  fact,  you  have  jeopardized  the  success  of 
your  trip,  endangered  your  health  and  life  by  securing 
provisions  which  are  of  the  poorest  quality,  and  which 
will  probably  be  totally  unfit  for  use  when  on  the  trail 
a  couple  of  weeks. 

"  The  same  error  is  made  in  the  selection  of  clothing. 
For  instance,  the  reliable  dealer  quotes  you  a  genuine 
Mackinaw  suit  at  $9.50 ;  the  unreliable  fellow  offers  you 
a  suit  at  $3.50;  which  is  the  worst  shoddy.  The  $9.50 
suit  will  be  worth  every  cent  of  the  price  asked,  the 
other  perhaps  not  worth  a  cent.  After  you  are  once  on 
the  trail,  your  opportunities  for  buying  are  past ;  you 
must  make  the  trip  with  the  outfit  you  have  or  turn  back. 

"You  naturally  ask  :  '  How  shall  I  decide  and  guard 
against  such  fatal  errors  ? '  Our  advice  is,  when  you 
arrive  in  Seattle,  visit  some  old-established  house,  ex- 
amine the  goods  offered,  insist  upon  having  the  very 
best  of  everything,  go  into  the  packing  room  and  see 
your  goods  weighed.  Any  reputable  house  will  be  glad 
to  allow  you  to  do  this.  Most  important  of  all,  see 
that  your  outfit  is  correctly  packed,  for,  no  matter  how 
good  an  outfit  you  buy,  it  will  be  absolutely  worthless 
before  it  has  been  on  the  trail  a  week  if  not  properly 
packed.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  every  package 
should  be  waterproof,  as  it  will  be  exposed  to  all  sorts 
of  weather  and  usage,  and  the  chances  are  that  more 
than  once  before  your  outfit  reaches  the  gold-fields  it 
will  be  completely  submerged.  If  improperly  packed 
the  entire  outfit  will  be  ruined,  but  if  properly  packed 
the  contents  of  each  package  will  reach  their  destina- 
tion in  as  good  condition  as  when  they  started." 

The  means  of  getting  to  Nome  City  are  various.  Of 
course,  reaching  Seattle  from  any  point  south  or  east  is 
plain  sailing,  but  from  Seattle  north  the  best  way 
is  by  either  the  North  American  Transportation  and 


Eureka — Nome  !  153 

Trading  Company  s  elegant  steamer  Roanoke  or  any  of 
the  steamers  of  the  Pacific  Clipper  Line,  which  will 
manage  the  splendid  steamers  Clias.  Nelson^  Geo.  W. 
Dickinson  and  the  Clevelayid.  The  Pacific  Steam  Whal- 
ing Company  will  also  run  the  ai  steamers  Valencia, 
Jeannie,  Excelsior  and  l^Jirashcr,  and  the  Seattle 
Steamship  Company  will  send  a  flyer  every  ten  days. 
The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  will  have  its  usual  fine 
equipment.  The  Seattle-Yukon  Transportation  Com- 
pany will  have  the  new  steamer  Santa  A?ia  and  also  the 
steamer  Lakjue.  The  Empire  Line  will  also  operate 
some  very  fine  ships. 

"With  the  ceasing  of  hostilities  in  the  Philippines  we 
may  expect  the  return  of  the  Athenian,  Tartar  and 
Garonne,  and  many  more  of  these  splendid  passenger 
boats,  to  aid  in  carrying  the  vast  crowd  from  Seattle  to 
Nome. 

Passengers  leaving  San  Francisco  for  Cape  Nome  will 
find  fine  accommodations  on  the  boats  of  the  Alaska 
Exploration  Company. 

Not  only  is  it  possible  to  make  money  by  taking  gold 
out  of  Cape  Nome,  but  money  may  also  be  luade  by 
taking  commodities  in.  Here  is  an  instance  of  the  pos- 
sibilities in  the  latter  line  : 

At  a  point  on  the  Yukon,  about  750  miles  from  Cape 
Nome  and  about  thirty  miles  above  Rampart,  possess- 
ing all  the  facilities  for  the  cheapest  kind  of  mining, 
there  is  located  a  coal  mine,  owned  and  operated  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Drew,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  It  is 
located  on  the  river,  and  has  every  facility  for  the  rais- 
ing and  developing  of  the  coal  in  the  cheapest  manner 
imaginable.  So  far  the  product  of  this  mine  has  been 
sold  to  the  various  companies  operating  steamboats  on 
the  Yukon  River,  and  much  of  it  has  been  brought  into 
Dawson.  In  the  present  condition  of  affairs  and  taking 
into  consideration  the  fact  that  the  coal  from  this  mine 
can  be  taken  by  an  all-water  route,  and  down-hill  at 
that,  to  all  the  new  discoveries  in  Alaska,  its  value  will 
at  once  be  seen.  The  new  and  wonderful  gold-bearing 
area  now  called  Cape  Nome  is  absolutely  without  fuel 
of  any  kind.  The  little  driftwood  that  lay  on  the  beach, 
which  floated  from  the  Yukon  across  Norton  Sound  into 
Behring  Sea,  and  has  lodged  on  the  points  and  capes, 


154  J^'-''-   WardncK. 

will  all  be  exhausted  this  winter.     The  incoming'  popu- 
lation of  50,000  people  will  cry  for  fuel. 

As  the  distance  from  Seattle  to  Cape  Nome  is  about 
2,400  miles  by  water,  and  from  Drew's  mine  to  Cape 
Nome  is  only  750  miles,  the  value  of  that  property,  it  will 
be  seen,  is  enormous.  Certain  expenditures  are  neces- 
sary, such  as  a  new  equipment  of  machinery,  more  de- 
velopments, and  the  maintenance  of  barges  and  tugs. 
The  present  price  of  coal  in  Cape  Nome  is  $150  per  ton. 
Mr.  Drew,  like  myself  in  the  case  of  the  Blue  Canon 
coal  mine,  owns  and  operates  his  mine  alone,  and  has 
sold  enough  to  the  transportation  companies  to  develop 
his  property  and  leave  him  a  handsome  money  balance. 


SAILING  FOR  CAPE   NOME 


About  May   ioth,   1900, 


Large  and  Magnificent  Steamship, 


CENTENNIAL. 


Consider  carefully  the  advantages  in  com- 
fort and  conveniences  in  traveling,  in  a 
ship  of  this  class  as  compared  with  steam- 
schooners  and  smaller  vessels.  Reserva- 
tions for  passengers  and  freight  made  now. 
Apply  to 

NORTHWESTERN    COMMERCIAL    CO., 

201-202  Pioneer  Building, 
SEATTLE,  WASH. 


MITCHELL,    LEWIS    and 
STAVER    CO., 

Manufacturers  and  Dealers  in 

/\INING   AAGHINERV 
AND   SUPPLIES. 


Klondike  Prospector,  for  Prospecting  Under 

Water. 

Engine  Boilers  of  all  Sizes  and  Styles. 

Mechanical  Gold  Washer — Takes  the  place 
of  ten  men  with  rockers. 


308-310   FIRST  AVENUE,  SOUTH, 
SEATTLE,    WASH. 


JIM  WARDNER'S  CAREER. 

He  struck  it  Rich  in  Idaho  and  is  now  Fairhaven's  most 

Enterprising  Citizen, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  F.  Wardner  registered 
at  the  Rainier  yesterday.  "Jim  "  Wardner, 
as  he  is  familiarly  known,  has  had  a  re- 
markable career,  having  made  and  lost  sev- 
eral fortunes,  until  he  now  stalks  on  the 
top  of  the  heap  as  a  leading  Bellingham 
Bay  banker,  and  the  owner  of  half  a  dozen 
paying  mines.  Jim  made  his  last  great 
stake  up  in  Idaho,  where  he  fathered  a 
town  near  some  mines  that  he  owned,  and 
the  town  is  on  the  map  still  as  "Wardner." 
The  town  appears  to  better  advantage  on 
the  map— cuts  more  of  a  figure  than  it  does 
Tip  in  Idaho.  But  Jim  sold  out  long  before 
the  mines  petered  and  ere  the  boom  died, 
and  now  he  lives  in  the  finest  residence  in 
Fairhaven,  on  a  terraced  hill,  and  his  house 
is  surrounded  by  a  handsome  park,  designed 
by  an  expert  gardener,  decked  out  with 
rare  flowers  and  shrubs.  Then  he  owns 
the  speediest  horses  in  Fairhaven  and  has 
a  finger  in  almost  every  enterprise  the  town 
supports. 

—Seattle  Post-InteHieencer  (iSgg). 


PACIFIC   STEAM   WHALING   CO. 


FOR 


CAPE 


NOME 


SAILING   FROM   SEATTLE   AND  CARRYING 

U.   S.   MAILS, 

Ai    STEAMERS: 

"JEANIE,"  April  25th,  "  EXCELSIOR,"  April  30th, 

"VALENCIA,"  May  30th. 


The  P.  S.  W.  Co.'s  steamers  are  sheeted  with 
iron  bark,  and  specially  constructed  to  break  ice, 
and  will  be  the  first  steamers  to  reach  Cape 
Nome.     For  freight  or  passage  apply 

Pacific  Steam  Whaling  Co., 

313  FIRST  AVENUE  SOUTH,  SEATTLE,  WASH. 
30  CALIFORNIA  STREET,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


IF  YOU  WANT  TO 
KNOW  ANYTHING 
ABOUT  CAPE  NOME 

Write  us  and  we  will  gladly  answer  your  questions, 
giving  you  only  the  latest  and  such  information  as 
we  know  to  be  reliable. 

WHEN  YOU  START  FOR  NOME, 

Have  your  mail  addressed  in  our  care.  You  will 
receive  it  promptly  while  you  are  in  Seattle,  and  it 
will  be  forwarded  to  you  promptly  after  you  start 
for  the  gold  fields. 

ONLY  ONE. 

There  is  only  one  Alaska  supply  house  that  is  older 
than  any  other;  whose  knowledge  of  the  needs  of 
the  Alaska  prospector  has  been  gained  by  supply- 
ing his  needs  for  the  past  twenty-two  years. 

It  appears  that  our  experience  can  be  of  use  to 
you.  It's  yours  for  the  asking.  Write  us  freely 
for  any  information  you  may  desire. 

WHEN  YOU  ARRIVE  IN  SEATTLE 

You  will  find  us  just  a  block  from  Union  Depot. 
Make  your  headquarters  with  us  ;  you'll  be  wel- 
come. We  will  cheerfully  furnish  you  with  all 
information  you  desire,  and  consider  you  under  no 
obligations  to  trade  with  us. 

The  MacDougall  &  SouthwickCo., 

717-19-21-23  FIRST  AVENUE,  SEATTLE,  WASH. 
487  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK. 


BACK   FROM   ROSSLAND. 

Mr.  James  Wardner  is  back  from  Rossland, 
and  is  stopping  at  the  "Windsor  Hotel.  Mr. 
Wardner,  or  "Jim,"  as  he  is  affectionately- 
called  along  the  Pacific  Coast,  has  had  a  won- 
derful experience  in  mining  during  the  past 
thirty  years.  If  he  had  a  half  hour  to  spare,  he 
could  tell  more  mining  stories  than  would  fill 
this  paper.  And  these  stories  would  be  full  of 
dramatic  interest.  There  would  be  humor  in 
them  ;  now  and  then  there  would  be  a  dash  of 
tragedy.  Chiefly  they  would  be  brimming  over 
with  human  nature.  He  knows  all  the  cele- 
brated characters  who  have  given  piquancy  to 
mining  life  in  California  or  British  Columbia. 
It  was  his  good  fortune  to  make  friends  with 
all  classes  of  character  he  encountered,  and  he 
is  regarded  with  the  greatest  affection  by  the 
miner  and  the  prospector.  "Jim"  conforms  to 
the  uses  of  civilization  with  great  gfravity  when 
he  comes  East.  Out  West  he  is  one  of  the 
boys.  He  has  been  used  to  roughing  it  and 
rather  likes  it.  Withal  he  has  an  eye  like  an 
eagle,  and  a  judgment  that  is  seldom  at  fault, 
and  if  Jim  pronounces  a  favorable  judgment  on 
a  property,  you  may  invest  your  money.  He  is 
interested  in  several  properties  in  British  Co- 
lumbia, and  it  is  to  further  these  that  he  comes 
East  so  frequently. 

— Front  Montreal  Netusfiaper  (.lS<)3). 


PABST 

MILWAUKEE 

BEER 


Excels  all  others 
Up  to  date. 


The  Only  Milwaukee  Beer  Sold 

in 

CAPE   NOME. 


PACIFIC   CLIPPER 

LINE. 


E.  E.  CAINE,   President. 


Steamships  : 

HUMBOLDT,  CHAS.    NELSON, 

CLEVELAND,  GEO.  W.   DICKINSON, 

CZARINA,  RESOLUTE. 


Steamers  every  Five  Days  during  May  and  June, 

1900,  for 

CAPE  NOME  AND  ST.  MICHAELS. 

Reservations  being  made  now.     Secure  your  space. 


REGULAR  Sailings  for  Skagway  and  San  Francisco. 


General  Offices:   ARLINGTON  DOCK,  SEATTLE. 
City  Office:  622  FIRST  AVENUE,  SEATTLE. 


James  F.  Wardner,  or  "Jim  "  Wardner,  as 
he  is  known  to  mining  men  all  over  Amer- 
ica, arrived  from  the  South  last  evening  and 
is  a  guest  at  the  Hotel  Driard.  His  last 
mining  investments  have  been  in  the  Atlin 
country,  from  which  he  came  recently  to 
recuperate  his  health  in  California,  and  of 
which  he  predicts  great  things.  He  is  usu- 
ally a  good  prophet,  too,  in  mining  matters, 
as  witness  the  Kootenay  of  to-day,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  enthu- 
siastic pioneers.  Besides  being  a  good 
miner,  operator  and  maker  of  new  cities, 
"Jim"  Wardner  with  his  nerve  has  fur- 
nished material  for  many  famous  stories. 
The  tale  of  Shaughnessy.  Wardner  and  the 
pass  has  now  been  published  in  practically 
every  paper  of  America,  Hawaii,  Australia, 
and  the  English  press  of  the  Orient,  and  at 
last  advice  it  had  been  put  into  German  and 
was  doing  duty  in  the  Fatherland. 

—  Victoria  Colonist  (MarcA,  iSgg). 


A 

Gold-saving  Machine. 


IF  you  intend  to  mine  you  know  that  the 
loss  entailed  under  the  ordinary  process 
of  working  placer  deposits  of  gold  varies 
from  20  to  50  per  cent.    Most  of  this  can  be 
SAJ/ED. 

SWAIN'S    IMPROVED 
GOLD   AMALGAMATOR 

will  do  it.  This  fact  has  been  demonstrated 
without  a  doubt. 

A  dollar  saved  is  a  dollar  earned. 

The  machine  will  be  sold  outright  to 
those  who  intend  to  work  the  beach  or  tundra 
sands  of  Alaska. 

Compact  and  portable. 

Investigate  for  yourself,  or  write  to 

The  Nome  Gold   Mining  and 
Development  Co., 

211-212  MUTUAL  LIFE   BUILDING,   SEATTLE,  WASH. 


Empire  Line 


-TO- 


ST.  MICHAEL, 
CAPE   NOME, 


-AND- 


Yukon  River 
Points. 


Largest  and  Best  Steamships  Sailingf  North, 

Tons.  Passenger  Capacity. 

S.S.OHIO 3.500  325  ist  class      475  2d  class 

S.  S.  PENNSYLVANIA 3.500  325  ist  class     475  2d  class 

S.S.INDIANA  3.500  325  ist  class     475  2d  class 

S.  S.  CONEMAUGH 2,500  50  ist  class     400  2d  class 

First  Sailing  from  Seattle    -^  ^.^       -^  t  t  t  /^ 

Direct  for  Cape  Nome          ^  ^     l*  I  M   I  I  •  I 

Onor  About  May  25,        ^-'*  ^^*   \J1LI\J, 


Empire  Transportation  Co., 

607  FIRST  AVE.,  SEATTLE,  WASH. 

INTERNATIONAL   NAVIGATION   COMPANY, 

or  any  of  its  sub-agents  in  the  United  States, 

Canada  or  Europe. 


James  F.  Wardner  and  family  go  out 
this  morning  to  remain  permanently. 
Jim  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Hills, 
has  always  been  in  business  and  has 
always  made  friends.  He  is  every  inch 
a  rustler  and  has  done  as  much  for  the 
development  of  this  country  as  any 
man  in  it.  He  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  many  enterprises  that 
have  brought  great  wealth  to  the  coun- 
try, and  will  return  in  the  Spring  with- 
out his  family  and  organize  and  put  in 
successful  operation  others. 

—  Wardner  (^Idaho)  News. 


THE 

"HOTEL  NUNIVAK," 

NOME   CITY,  CAPE  NOME   DISTRICT, 
ALASKA. 

Operated  by  the  Nunivak  Hotel  Co. 

T.  C.  Healy,  General  Manager. 


WILL   OPEN   ABOUT  JUNE  15th. 
ONE   HUNDRED    ROOMS. 


LADIES'  AND  GENTLEMEN'S  GRILL  ROOM, 

EUROPEAN    AND    AMERICAN   PLAN. 


Electrically   lighted   throughout ;    telephone    service 
connecting  rooms   with   office. 


ROOMS  SINGLE  AND  EN-SUITE,  WITH   BATH. 
Also  the   Best  of  Service, 


Hotel  Marlborough,  A*.  Y., 
February  1st,  1900. 

MR.  STEVE  BAILEY, 

Proprietor  Hotel  J^orthern, 

Headquarters  for  Cape  Koine, 
Seattle,  Wash.: 

Please  reserve  me  room  125  for  the  month 
preceding  the  sailing  of  Sam  Barber's  slick  steam- 
ship "ALPHA,"  which  will  leave  Vancouver  on 
April  10th,  1900. 

J.  F.  WARDKER. 


James  F.  Wardner  again 
comes  to  the  front  in  the 
big  chloride  mining  deal, 
placing  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  enterprising 
men  of  the  period.  That 
he  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful mining  operators  of 
the  West,  goes  without  say- 
ing. He  has  done  much  to 
further  the  interests  of  this 
great  country,  and  his  name 
will  live  in  the  history  of 
Washington. 

—Helena  Independent  (j89f). 


CAPE  NOME  FLYER  LINE. 

Ocean-going  Steamers  every  ten  days 

for 

CAPE 

NOME 

AND  St.  Michael 

DIRECT. 


First  Sailing  Date  on  or  about  APRIL  loth, 

1 900. 


For  Freight  and  Passenger  Rates  apply  to 

Seattle  Steamship  Co., 

WHITE  STAR  DOCK,      -        -     FOOT  OF  SPRING  STREET, 

SEATTLE. 
Telephone,  Main  528. 


S.  S.  ABERDEEN 


(BUILT  IN  1899.) 


Capacity,  i,ooo  tons.      Passenger  accommodations,  220. 
All  modern  conveniences  for  comfort. 


POSITIVELY  SAILING  FROM   TACOMA   DIRECT 
FOR  CAPE   NOME 

10th  may,  1900, 

This  Company  will  have  its  own  complete  equipment 
for  the  safe  and  expeditious  landing  of  passengers 
and  cargo  on  arrival. 

For  Freight  and  Passage  apply  to 

Alaska  Transport  Co., 

114  NINTH  STREET,  •         -         -  TACOMA. 


Men  unacquainted  with  Jim  Ward- 
tier  regfard  Col.  Sellers  as  the  typical 
American  romancer  ;  but  they  who 
have  been  fortunate  enough  to  brush 
up  against  Wardner's  brilliant  im- 
agination know  that  Sellers  was 
quite  ordinary  in  his  line.  Sellers 
soared  in  the  clouds.  Wardner  rises 
above  the  fleeciest  cirrus,  tran- 
scends the  airy  cushion  of  the 
earth,  and  boldly  floats  in  the  ether 
of  the  Universe,  and  all  this  time, 
parodoxical  as  it  may  seem,  he  is 
down  in  the  depths  of  the  earth, 
shoveling  out  gold  by  the  carload. 

—New  York  World. 


S.-Y.     X.     CO.       ESTABLISHED   i 


897. 


TO  CAPE  NOME  AND  ST.  MICHAEL 


New  Steamer 

SANTA     ANA 

Will  Sail  About  MAY  20th,  1900. 

The  Santa  Ana  is  a  fine,  brand-new  steamer,  with 
first-class  passenger  accommodations.  Capacity,  1,200 
tons  freight,  and  a  speed  of  12  knots  an  hour. 

Str.     LAKME 

Will  Sail  On  or  About  MAY   15th,  1900, 

With  Passengers  and  Freight.  Both  steamers  connect  at 
St.  Michael  with  our  river  fleet,  SEATTLE  No.  i,  SEAT- 
TLE No.  2,  SEATTLE  No.  3,  ROCK  ISLAND,  for  all 
Yukon  River  points. 

Reservations  may  now  be  made  at  the  offices  of 

Seattle-Yukon  Transportation  Co., 

90-92   COLUMBIA   STREET, 

Or  SANDER  &   HAYNES,    Pioneer  Square, 

SEATTLE. 


HO 

FOR 

CAPE   NOME. 


We  will  send  the  very  first  steamer  from 
Seattle  to  Cape  Nome  in  the  Spring,  and 
will  have  the  first  steamer  reaching  Cape 
Nome.  We  will  make  you  a  low  rate  on 
tickets  and  freight.  Don't  buy  or  con- 
tract before  calling  on  or  writing  us. 
Reservations  now  being  made 

SEATTLE  &  CAPE  NOME 
TRANSPORTATION  CO., 

Room  6i,  Sullivan  Block, 

SEATTLE. 

D.  G.  GRAMMAN, 

General  Manager. 


r     '. 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000  274  877    0 


